


Violence & Violets

by VeeTea



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Bondage, Character Development, Childhood Trauma, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Possessive Behavior, Praise Kink, Resolved Sexual Tension, Rough Sex, Size Difference, Slow Burn, Smut, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:13:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25351438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeeTea/pseuds/VeeTea
Summary: "Yet we met; and fate bound us together at the alter, and I never spoke of passion nor thought of love. She, however shunned society, and, attaching herself to me alone rendered me happy. It is a happiness to wonder; it is a happiness to dream."-Edgar Allan Poe, MorellaHe won't ever let it slip that he's the Red Hood, yet all she ever asked from him was honesty.Lily Neueman hated the Red Hood with a passion. Forget first impressions. After he shot a man in cold blood and trashed her apartment in the process, she wanted little to do with the masked vigilante.The Red Hood, aka Jason Todd, didn't feel much different, until he got to know her without the mask. How can he be honest when he knows she'd leave him the moment she knew the truth?But honestly, who hasn't been a little selfish when it comes to romance?How will things end up, when both two very different individuals, with enough past trauma to spare, desperately try to connect yet keep missing the mark? Only one way, of course; badly.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter One: A Change of Pace

**Author's Note:**

> Phew! It's been a few years! I may be a bit rusty to fanfic writing so bear with me. This fic is a combination of multiple batman universes, so some characters appear while others wont, so don't expect much canon compliance beyond origin stories and some existing character relationships. This story isnt beta'd so forgive me for any spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, I'll fix them as I come across them. 
> 
> So, with that, I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter One: A Change of Pace**

_Shouldn't I know how to do this by now?_

_Can somebody tell me how to figure this out?_

_Coming of Age, Maddie Medley_

Lily Neueman was poor. It was a fact, no two ways about it. But, she was happy. Happier than she was before, when living on the outskirts of town. Having to deal with the family drama that caused her shoulders to sag and her eyes to roll on a daily basis. Despite the lack of luxury, Lily would rather live peacefully and broke rather than emotionally exhausted and financially safe. 

Living in lower downtown Gotham, Lily had left her home of Ocean City, Maryland for two reasons. Number one being that her father could no longer sustain 3 children, and second, her overbearing mother insisted that the best way to find wealthy husbands was in the city. “That's where all those well-to-do boys are headed!” she had insisted. And never having enough energy to argue with the high-strung woman, Lily used her savings to put a down-payment on the loan for her small flower shop on the outermost parts of downtown Gotham. 

It's a well-known pattern that the outskirts of any major city suffer from higher crime rates and lower living conditions, but Lily had lucked out in her neighborhood. Mostly inhabited by elderly folks and the occasional visiting college students looking for their next buzz, Lily had yet to really struggle with any criminal activity or fearing for her safety. The simple rule of avoiding alleyways and leaving her shop before sundown were good habits to live by. That and the mace she always carried in one hand.

It was 8:30 am when Lily normally opened up the flower shop, and today was no different, outside, surrounding the glass door, were this season’s most popular flowers. It being summer, and the most popular time for couples (besides spring of course) Lily’s small business was booming. She was making good money, certainly not enough to buy her a vacation, but enough to support herself and her Calico affectionately named Lady. On the off seasons she offered her services as a "plant whisperer", helping people with maintaining their gardens, and treating their plants, as well as offering her services at the city's botanical gardens.

The only downside was the lack of off time. In order to make enough to keep the lease on her shop and pay the bills, Lily also did some part-time work such as baby-sitting and dog-walking on some weekends and holidays. She was a busy-body by no means but at least the constant grind kept her from fully realizing her perpetual loneliness. 

Checking that the Asters and Bee Balms were still holding up, Lily unlocked the door and let the smell of compost waft over her. Closing her eyes and letting out a small hum, she set her bag and keys down on the small checkout counter before heading to the back of the shop to gather the watering can. 

It was nearly 9:30 when her first customer arrived, and it was one Lily knew dearly. Smiling, she headed to the front to greet Mrs. Murphy, an 80 or so year old woman who had been a loyal customer since Lily had started her business. “Good morning Mrs. Murphy, how are you?”

The old woman smiled, shaking her head good-naturedly, she rested her hand on Lily’s arm. “Oh! My dear, I am positively exhausted, this weather has me all out of sorts. Thankfully, your sweet voice always lightens my mood.” 

Lily gave a soft laugh. One of the many benefits of living in an aging neighborhood was the amount of granny's that came in buying flower seeds and offering their daily gossip in return.

“That is very sweet of you Mrs. Murphy. Are you here for your Toad Lilies?”

“You read my mind honey. I hope they are doing better than last time?” Going to the back to retrieve the dappled flowers, Lily nodded, reassuring the small woman. 

“They were in an awful state when you had brought them to me. Luckily, they had simply been watered too often. You said you kept them on your windowsill right? It seems these little guys are best suited for a place with more shade. Perhaps they would do better in your study.” 

Mrs. Murphy nodded with earnest. “Oh yes! That would explain the dried edges. You know how it is sweetie, these foreign flowers are a temperamental bunch, sometimes I feel my orchids are easier to take care of.”

Gingerly placing the pot into the elder woman’s hands, Lily wrote some notes on a small slip of paper explaining the new water regiment and better placement of the delicate flowers. “That will be $13.50 by the way,” Mr. Murphy gave her a look. “It was $2.00 more last month though dear.” “Yes, and now it’s $2.00 less.” She teased back. Giving a small titter, Mrs. Murphy handed Lily her change, with a small wave and a sincere goodbye and well wishes, she was on her way. After leaning out the door to make sure she crossed the street safely, Lily began to hum a tune to herself as she trimmed the flora. Several new and old customers came by before noon when Jane, the neighboring owner of a bakery across the street fluttered in. “Oh Lilibet!” She called softly. 

_The only woman I know who gives nicknames longer than people's actual names,_ Lily thought to herself with a smile.

Coming from the back part of the store, carrying a small pot of early budding New England Asters, Lily greeted Jane. Setting the pot onto the counter, she gave her bubbly friend her full attention. Jane was someone Lily came to know early on in her move to Gotham, she was tall, with blonde hair like her own (though Lily herself would place a bet it wasn't Jane’s real hair color) and eccentric. Jane was a welcome reprieve from the city folk who followed the pattern of keeping to themselves. “You’re earlier than usual for lunch Jane, what has you so excited?” Giving a small bounce, Jane gently grabbed Lily's wrists across the counter. “Johnathan from the supermarket is having a party for his recent promotion. He’s even rented out an entire venue for it. He says there will be a live band, dancing, and food, and so many other wonderful things!” Lily smiled at her friend's obvious excitement. Jane was always a quiet spirit, but she was a people person at heart and a hopeless romantic. Continuing, Jane began to walk about Lily’s small store. “It’s been months since we have been out and about Lillibet!” She sighed. Rolling her eyes, Lily agreed in earnest. “Yes I suppose it has been. Do you know if anyone else will be there?” Jane thought for a moment before walking about the shop again, her eyes studying the bags of compost and rows of pots. “Johnny didn't say much about guests, but big parties bring all sorts of people...he did mention a man by the name of Nick...said he came by the store a lot and they got along well.” Spinning on her heel, Jane crinkled her nose. “Apparently he’s a pretty wealthy man.” Lily rolled her eyes. “We don't need some rich snob to crash the party.” 

“Oh! Don't be so cynical Lily, I'm sure he's a good guy.” 

“Of course you would think so Jane,” Lily replied, shaking her head. Coming back up to the counter, Jane looked at Lily imploringly. “Please say you’ll come with. I know how much you love to dance,” Jane reached across the counter for the second time and held her friend's hands. Her eyes twinkling with mirth. “Maybe you’ll find someone to sweep you off your feet!” Lily gave a soft snort and flipped their hands to where she was now holding Jane's. “Doubtful, I have yet to find a man so perfect as to catch my attention,” she declared dramatically. “Maybe lower your standards?” Jane offered.

“Since when is complete perfection too much to ask for in a partner?” Jane gave Lily a look and they both laughed. "I'm sorry Jane, but I just can't tonight, this is the first time in weeks that I can just relax without worrying about paying the bills, trying to put food on the table or taking care of some drama back home. It'll just be me and Lady. I need this break.” Jane gave her much smaller friend a pout. “Are you sure? You always complain about not having time to meet new people.” “I meet new people everyday Jane, it's keeping them around long enough to make some semblance of a friendship that I want and...I don't know...I just need some time to pay attention to myself.” 

Looking back down at their connected hands, Jane gave a small nod. “Alright Lillibet,” looking up to see the clock on the counter, Jane gave a small sigh. “It’s time I head back, I’ll be having lunch with my coworkers,” Lily made a face. The same coworkers that liked to talk crap about her behind her back. “Yeah...I think I’ll just eat here then. You know how I feel about those women.” Giving a quick kiss to the cheek in that overly affectionate way of hers, Jane gave a quick goodbye and left almost as quickly as she came in. Alone to herself again, Lily resumed the rest of her day, picking at her packed lunch between sweeping the store, stocking the back room and trimming her plants. It was 8:00 pm when Lily finally decided to close up shop. Locking the door behind her, she made her way to her apartment complex a few blocks down. Passing by small family owned shops and the occasional luxury attractions, she eventually found herself in front of her 4 story apartment building. 

It was definitely smaller than your average housing complex, with its red anterior and flat roof, it fit in perfectly with the old-timey vibe of the neighborhood. Only wide enough to fit two suites on either side, the building only had two large windows on either end of it, with the metal stairs splitting it down the middle. 

Making her way up to the fourth floor, Lily unlocked the door and gave it a solid push with her shoulder. 

Her ears were then assaulted by the loud cries of Lady's greeting. 

"Hi there my pretty girl!" Lily cooed, shoving the door closed behind her. Crouching down, she gave Lady her daily payment of a couple chin scratches and head pats before setting her things on the side table. 

Her place looked exactly like what you'd expect a flower-shop-owner-slash-shut-in's place to look like. Several favorite plants from her hometown and a precious Bonsai that she begun growing and preening at the age of 14 sat on the kitchen counter while the other, much larger, plants lay scattered across on all corners of the apartment. 

Her room was small, no TV, just a simple couch facing depressingly out the front window. On her right was her small kitchen and further down past that was her bedroom. On the left of her couch lay a small bookshelf, and a cat tree that she found on the side of the road and cleaned up for Lady. 

Adjacent to these was the door to her bathroom, equipped with just enough room for a bathtub and toilet on either side of the sink. 

The overall atmosphere was darker, the accent of the brick walls giving the space a sense of an "urban rustic" taste. On the other side of the living room, stood the sliding glass door that led to the balcony that gave her a wonderful view of the alleyway below and the side's of much taller buildings. 

Feeling Lady weaving about her legs and crying about her perpetual starvation, Lily quickly obeyed her feline mistress and poured out some cat food. 

"It's just you and me tonight miss Lady," Lily whispered, stroking her cat's back. "That means some good ol' lazing about and watching whatever YouTube's recommended sends us to today."

It was 10 pm as Lily lay across her couch with her laptop lying atop her stomach and her cat lounging on the armrest, keeping her head warm. Lily was beginning to doze off when she heard it. A gunshot- no, _multiple_ gunshots. She raised her head to stare at the sliding door to her balcony. Complete darkness. 

She had yet to really panic, it was Gotham after all, and being on the outskirts of the city meant sounds traveled far. It wasn't unusual to hear an ambulance that was several miles away, let alone gunshots.

Keeping her cool, Lily got comfortable again, giving her attention back to the video she was semi-watching. Something about art restoration it seemed. 

More gunshots, this time closer. Her heart began to race, Even more so when Lady, with a puffed tail, swiftly jumped from the couch and scurried to the bedroom, most likely to hide under the bed. 

Getting up quickly, Lily ran to grab her phone on the kitchen counter, with each step the gunshots got louder. 

_Shit shit shit!_

The moment she reached her phone, a deafening crash and the following sound of falling glass sounded behind her from the balcony. Lily glanced behind her...slowly...terrified of what she might find. She saw a body in her peripheral vision. She heard it give an agonized groan. Flinching, Lily began to type out the password in her phone.

_Shit shit shit!_

Her shaking hands were making it impossible to hit the keys. A thump of someone landing on her balcony made Lily turn again, this time putting her full focus on the source of this second sound. 

She wished she hadn't. Walking toward the groaning man on her living room floor, a large helmeted figure stalked forward. Lily gave a loud cry and thoughtlessly ran behind the kitchen counter, pressing herself against the refrigerator. 

The thought of running to her bedroom and locking the door occurred to her only after it was too late. The masked figure turned his head to look at her. And for that split second Lily began to wish she stayed with her shitty parents in shitty Oceancity living her simple shitty life. 

The figure only looked at her for a second more before crouching down and lifting the fallen man by his shirt. Though this mysterious man was large- hell he seemed giant in the small apartment, the way he effortlessly lifted this other grown man as if he weighed nothing made Lily's blood run cold. She had heard of Gotham's villains. And she had prayed to never encounter one, yet here she was: Watching an apparent murder happen right in front of her. 

She clenched her phone, glancing at it. Could she still try to call the cops? _Jesus_ she just wanted one night of relaxi-

"You really shouldn't have tested my patience." 

Her heart stopped. The masked figure had spoken. Its voice was deep, smooth, and yet it had a tinge of roughness that made it pleasing to the ear, and also a bit of something else...A voice modulator? It was type of voice that rumbled from the chest and could be heard across a crowded room. It was terrifying. 

"You shouldn't have tested our boss!" Sputtered the other man. 

A hum erupted from the masked man that could almost be taken as laughter. 

"You're so right. After I'm done here I think I'll head over to your boss and apologize."

"You son of a bitch I'll-"

_BANG!_

Lily screamed as she witnessed the man get his brains blown out, blood sprayed across the walls and her ceiling. The sickening sound of dead weight falling on her cheap carpet made it all the more worse. 

"Oh my god...Oh my god…" Lily slid down onto the floor, holding her head in her hands. She did not just see someone get shot. No, this was a dream. Soon she'd wake up on the couch with a sore back, wondering when she fell asleep and having a new-found appreciation for her cheap, bloodless ceiling. 

Her phone. Yes! Her phone! Quickly turning it back on, Lily willed her fingers to type the password. Yet the sight of footsteps appearing in front of her made her freeze. Jesus she hadn't heard him move. Yet for the record, all she could truly hear was ringing and the blood rushing in her ears. 

"I wouldn't get the cops involved." That smooth rumble again. 

Looking up, Lily could finally get a good look at her intruder and soon-to-be killer. 

The helmet the man wore covered his whole head, as if it were a motorcycle helmet. It was deep red and shiny, Lily could even see her sorry-self reflected in it. The man's wardrobe only got weirder from there. A brown leather jacket with a high collar covered his seemingly grey, padded-armor top. Across it was a red...bat? Was this Batman? No...batman dressed like a bat, pointy ears and all, and last she heard...Batman didn't kill or use guns. The man's lower ensemble consisted of grey cargo pants with accompanying leg straps and gun holsters. The bastard couldn't seem to pinpoint or even coordinate his fashion enough to make sense as to what he was supposed to be...but it did a damn good job of being intimidating. 

"I...I wasn't going to call the cops," Lily whispered. Her eyes fruitlessly searching for the man's gaze behind the impenetrable red mask. 

The masked man gave what sounded like a snort.

"Don't lie to me kid." 

Lily didn't know what to say to that. Instead her eyes moved back to the body she could see around the kitchen counter. 

"You shot him…"

"Very observant," Came the harsh reply, the man crouched down in front of her and Lily kept trying to push herself harder against the refrigerator, trying desperately to get farther away from this monster. "Now, I'm not the type of guy to leave dead bodies at girls' houses, it just isn't my style,"

Was this psychopath really trying to joke around? Lily turned her head completely away from him, finally losing her nerve trying to find a face behind that mask

"...so I'll make you a deal."

That got her attention. 

"You're not...going to kill me?" 

Another snort. "Have you done anything illegal?" 

Lily closed her eyes. The tears finally started to appear as the adrenaline wore off. 

"I don't think so" She forced out. "…I stole a candy bar from a convenience store when I was a kid…" In that moment, Lily truly believed she was the dumbest person in the history of humankind. If she did somehow survive, she would send someone in her place to receive her Darwin Award for "literally asking to get shot in the face".

A loud, single bark of laughter erupted from the man. 

"Truly," He breathed. "You are the worst of the worst. Too bad the criminals on my list are only traffickers and serial killers, because if petty thievery was on my list," the man leaned in closer, and Lily's heart stopped for the hundredth time that night "...I'd have to take you in." The man whispered. 

Shit, now he's flirting with her. How does someone respond to something like that? Yet it seemed she didn't have to say much of anything, as her now falling tears spoke for her. 

The man pulled back, seemingly disgusted by the display. He made a move to brush some nonexistent hair back as if he were uncomfortable, but stopped himself and instead gave a small curse. 

"I guess I fucked up." He said softly. 

"Huh?" 

Standing up, the hooded figure looked behind him and then back down at her. His large shoulders seemed to sag a little. "So about that deal. I'll get this body out of your apartment, as long as you don't call the cops, I'll have someone over tomorrow to clean this up. Sound good?"

"I dont...I wont be here tomorrow...I have to work…" 

"Then they'll clean everything while you're gone." Said the main exasperated. Cracking his neck, the man gave her his full attention.

"You can stop looking so terrified kid, I ain't gonna hurt ya." 

"..." 

Grumbling under his breath, the man rubbed the back if his neck. Really, Lily thought to herself, who knew murderers were so awkward about killing people in other people's houses.

The man made no other comment. With as little effort as before, he lifted the body up in a fireman hold. He was halfway out the shattered balcony door when an unexplained compulsion came over her. 

"Wait!" She called, scrambling up from the kitchen floor. The man complied and looked over his shoulder at her. 

"Who are you?"

Though she couldn't see it, she heard the smile in his reply. 

"Red Hood." With a two finger salute, the man jumped from her balcony and disappeared into the night. Leaving a shaken Lily to dash into her bedroom locking the door. 

_Maybe I should have stayed home..._


	2. Chapter Two: Fate is a Funny Thing

**Chapter 2: Fate is a Funny Thing**

_It's so hard to tell which side you're on_

_One day is hell, the next day is the dawn_

_The lines are blurred, you keep rubbing your eyes_

_The tables turn, now it's time to survive_

_Man or a Monster, Sam Tinnesz_

He didn't plan on seeing her again. Truly, it was a major fuck up on his part, he'd admit to that much. He paid both a contractor and a cleaner to wipe that girl's place sparkling clean and have the sliding door replaced. That was supposed to be the end of it. 

That night had been a pain in his ass all on it's own and then he had to end it with fixing some plant lady's apartment? It wasn't even his fault, really. 

That man he was chasing had pissed him off so much that Jason decided on throwing him off the ledge. What he didn't consider was the apartment complex just below. 

100% an accident. 

Now there he was, participating in the family business of brooding on rooftops when he saw her again. It was well past dark. 

He supposed it wasn't too shocking on seeing her again. The girl obviously lived and worked in the neighborhood. 

Jason himself did not visit this part of the city too often. Old people aren't exactly at the top of his shit-list. What _did_ bring him here the second night, was the odd amount of underground criminal activity happening in the area recently. 

Increased rates of unidentified bodies had been reported. The victims had no head, hands, or feet, a key signature to the cartel, and were supposedly either buyers or members themselves. The bodies showed signs of torture and blunt force trauma both before and after death, indicating a personal connection and obvious fear-mongering to fellow gang members and enemies alike. 

Last night he had finally gotten to a key member of this gang, and the rest is history. Which brought him back to the present. Crouching down on one knee, Jason watched as the girl locked up shop and began speed walking toward what he assumed to be her apartment. 

He frowned behind his mask. The girl was a tiny thing. Practically half his size. When he stood above her last night, the first thing that captured his attention were her large green eyes. Doe eyes? Something descriptively cheesy like that. They looked up at him with terror and confusion. When he crouched down he took even more time studying her. She had thick blonde hair that was cut above the shoulders with heavy bangs swept to the side. She wore a simple white t-shirt with pajama shorts and was barefoot. Clearly she was about to go to bed. 

What caught his attention the most though was the way she studied him right back. Clearly she was scared for her life, but behind that was an intelligent gaze. Her eyes took in every inch of him, first gazing at his helmet, looking for a pair eyes he knew she would not be able to see. They then traveled across the rest of his body, discerning every piece of clothing. Her expression changed from curious, to confused, before landing back on terrified. He almost wanted to laugh at the oddity of it. He'd gotten a lot of looks in his life. Affectionate glances to glares filled with hatred, all the way to disappointed stares, but never had he had someone judge his fashion sense mid-terror. 

But no, even after all the effort he put into fixing up her trashed apartment, Jason did not bet on seeing her again. His eyes trailing after her, he caught movement in the corner of his vision and suddenly, he felt that it was for the best that he did happen upon her. Trailing behind her was a man. 

He had the signature look of someone up to no good. With his hands in his pockets, hoodie up and keeping his head low, this creep obviously held bad intentions. 

Smiling, Jason stretched himself out, cracking the joints in his neck and clenching and unclenching his gloved hands. He supposed doing some vigilante justice would be nice before he went off to trash some cartel hangout. 

___________

She knew she was being followed. Being a woman, Lily was taught at a young age to be aware of her surroundings for situations exactly like this one. 

She never left shop so late but she was procrastinating. She didn't want to return to her damaged apartment after last night. Having to stare at the shattered glass and blood stains. What made her feel worse though, was the thought that she would return to a _fixed_ apartment. Even considering that someone was in her home, snooping around, knowing where she lived, without her knowledge as to who they were, terrified her. 

But now, she was regretting her cowardice. She kept her mace in hand and kept walking. In her other hand she kept her thumb hovering over the emergency button on her phone. 

She didn't press it just yet, it would be just her luck to have called the police, only to realize the man following her was simply a false alarm. 

She heard the footsteps coming closer. Lily clenched her eyes shut and prepared herself to turn around and give the man a full dose of pepper spray when the footsteps suddenly stopped.

She felt a gust of wind and a loud "oof", followed by a thump on the pavement. 

"We should stop meeting like this, kid."

Her blood ran cold at that voice. Turning slowly, Lily took in a familiar sight. The man -Red Hood she remembered he called himself- stood over the body of her follower. 

When standing, she could fully appreciate just how tiny she was compared to this man. Her head barely reached his chest. He could probably launch her across the entire stretch of the road to the other side of the street without breaking a sweat if he wanted to. 

Lily quickly removed the ridiculous thought from her head and looked down at her possible assailant. 

"Is...Is he dead?"

__________

Frowning behind the helmet, Jason lifted one of his guns from its holster and pointed it at the man.

"Would you like him to be?"

Panic rose in the woman's eyes and she quickly raised her hands. 

"NO! No!...No, please, j-just...put the gun away…" 

"And why should I?" 

The question seemed to shock her. 

"He didn't do anything wrong." 

Jason clicked his tongue, irritated. Roughly, he grabbed the unconscious man's hand from his pocket, revealing an open switchblade in his clenched fist.

"It's pretty obvious what would've happened if I wasn't here, kid."

The woman's face was emotionless for a second, staring at the knife in the man's hands. Composing herself, she looked back up at Jason, a new fire in her eyes. 

"I didn't need you to save me." 

This was becoming less fun by the second. Crouching down, Jason let the tip of the gun rest on the man's forehead. 

"Yet I did anyway sweetheart. _You're welcome_." Cocking his pistol, Jason enjoyed watching the woman's face morph back into fear.

"I think I'll also take the liberty in euthanizing this filthy mutt, so that you might rest easy at night, of course." His finger moved over the trigger. 

"Stop! Why are you so ready to kill him?" The woman cried. 

"Why are you not?!" Jason snarled back. "This scum would have done who-knows-what to you if given the chance! You should want him dead just as much I do!"

"But I don't, " she replied softly. Jason paused, staring at her. 

__________

Lily gathered her courage. This man was obviously unhinged. But despite his obvious laissez-faire mentality in using his guns, she didn't feel directly threatened by him. Deep down, she knew this man wouldn't hurt her. At least, not yet anyway. 

She continued. "You're right in that if this man was planning on…" she paused not being able to form the proper words. "...harm me, I would want him to pay." 

Red Hood's finger on the trigger moved slightly. 

"But!" Lily quickly added. "I would rather he spend his time in prison."

"And what if he is found not guilty, princess?" Red Hood retorted. The gun in his hand shoved the man's skull against the brick wall. 

"What then?" 

Lily straightened her shoulders and looked at him directly. 

"I don't find it to be my place to play God." 

Red Hood gave a mocking laugh and Lily flinched. 

"Playing God? Is that what you think this is? No princess, think of it more as a societal cleanse." 

He got up, holstered his gun and stalked toward her. Lily backed away but he caught her wrist in a vice grip. 

"Let me go-"

"Men like that don't change, kid," Red Hood snarled. "There's no rehabilitating murderers or rapists. You should want them dead." 

Lily tugged on her arm again, when he didn't let go, she glared up at him. 

"Why do you seem more affected by this than I am?" 

That comment seemed to stop him. And Lily allowed herself to continue. 

"As the would-be victim, aren't I expected to be the one most affected? Yet here you are, angrier than me, as if this man has personally offended you." 

More silence, Lily felt the air change, and she suddenly felt that her earlier sense of safety from this man's rage dwindle by the second. 

Red Hood leaned in closer, the distance between them was so small, her face was mere centimetres from touching his mask. 

"You are incredibly naive." He hissed. "The world is better off without scum who get off on hurting others. If you can't understand that, then you're beyond stupid."

Anger rose in her chest. Forgetting her situation in that moment, Lily shoved herself away from him. 

"If you're done 'saving' me, _Red Hood_ ," She spat, lacing his name with contempt. "I think I'll head home to the apartment you trashed." 

Red Hood leaned back and let her turn to walk away. Lily was about to take a sigh of relief when his next comment made her freeze. 

"I hope the refurbishing is done to your liking, kid." 

Lily whirled around to retort when she saw that he was no longer there. Looking behind and above her, she felt even more spooked than before. 

She was sure of one thing though out of this encounter. She _hated_ Red Hood.

__________

_1 week later_

Lily was changing the flowers outside her shop when a recognizable sequel sounded from across the street.

Smiling, Lily turned to look up and saw Jane scurrying across the road, holding what appeared to be a flyer. 

"Lilibet, you have no idea what just opened up a few streets down from us " 

Lily gave a small laugh and agreed that yes in fact, she had no idea. 

_I haven't exactly been out and about lately anyway._ She thought to herself, aggravated. 

Not since some red-hooded wonder decided to make himself at home in her part of town. Though she had not directly encountered him since that second night, the subsequent bodies of supposed criminals that were reported daily was evidence enough of his presence.

That night, coming home to a newly cleaned apartment spooked her to the core. She was the farthest thing from grateful and she didn't wish to know who had been in her home. All because that bastard decided to trash it. 

"It's a dance hall!" Jane squealed, bringing Lily out of her thoughts. 

Lily gaped. "You're kidding,"

"I'm not! Here look, see? They are teaching all sorts of dancing and, better yet, they are advertising the occasional dance party!" 

Lily grabbed the flyer from Jane, grinning from ear to ear as she read it. 

"You know what this calls for right?" 

Lily looked up, pursing her lips. Jane continued before her tinier companion could guess.

"Clubbing!" She sing-songed. 

"What, tonight? Jane it's a work night for me, I-"

Jane grabbed Lily's hands. 

"It’s always a work night for you! Come on Lilibet! Take the day off! Please, please, please…"

"Alright! Okay," Lily relented. Handing the flyer back to a much happier and very pleased Jane, she gave her friend a good-humored scowl. 

"When and where?" 

"11 o'clock at The Silver Spoon,"

Lily made a face. "Sounds pretentious."

Jane grinned. "It is, but the atmosphere is classy. You won't have dudes grinding up on you at this place."

"Fine. Meet me my apartment at 10:30 and we'll head over there together." 

Jane gave her a tight hug and did a little dance. Lily hoped this night would be the pick-me-up she so desperately needed.

__________

"Did you hear the rumors?" 

Jason glanced to his side, spotting his old friend Roy Harper leaning against his door frame. 

"What rumors?" Jason grunted, sending another round of blows to his punching bag. His knuckles were starting to bleed through the hand wraps, not surprising as he usually ended his workouts to the point of exhaustion. 

"The cartel you've been keeping tabs on? One of their biggest buyers is the owner of this club nearby." 

That got Jason's attention. Taking large inhales through his nose to slow his heartbeat, he began to unwrap his hands. "Who'd you hear this from?" He breathed out. 

Roy gave a dark grin. "Y'know how it goes, a little eavesdropping here and there plus some good ol' interrogation helps."

Jason turned to face the marksman, massaging his palms. Roy continued.

"I say we scout out the place, no costumes. See if this info is good, and if it is, we get'em later that night." 

Jason nodded along and ran a hand through his hair. "What's the place called?" 

"The Silver Spoon." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a shorter chapter, but next chapter will be longer with more interaction and general plot movement. This fic starts off pretty fast-paced, but starts to slow down after a bit.


	3. Chapter Three: New Perspectives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize beforehand for any spelling errors you might find, I don't have a beta and I really wanted to get this chapter out. I did reread many times but again, I can always miss something.

_Rich girls, wanna-be pop stars_

_Just don't step on my shoes_

_Band-bang, bullet as a contract_

_Who put that wolf in a suit?_

-Lost Angels, Troi Irons 

She had put on her Sunday-best for this night. That is, if Sunday-best meant dressing in your sexiest outfit. 

Lily turned from side to side, looking at herself in the mirror, judging. Lady was seated on the edge of her bed, her tail flicking occasionally, seemingly judging Lily more than she was herself. 

Lily rarely went to nightclubs. The loud music sometimes gave her headaches, and she was too paranoid to ever order more than two drinks for herself. Her mother's harsh words rang in her ears as she patted down her thigh length red circle skirt. 

_"Young ladies wear modest clothes Lilyanne! Why are you dressing like a whore?!"_

"I'm not a whore…" Lily whispered to herself, absentmindedly, pulling down her skirt to make it reach a bit lower. 

She kept her hair loose, with a pair of dangling earrings she bought herself one distant birthday ago. Her red skirt, though shorter at the bottom,was high waisted, and wrapped around her midsection. To compliment it, she wore an almost-off-the-shoulder neckline crop top, which, when coupled with the skirt, only teased a bit of skin around her waist. Lastly, were her trusty 3 inch white heels -her only pair of nice shoes mind you- but they worked with almost any outfit. 

She left her neck bare, any necklace she did have was worth too much to risk losing at a nightclub.

Hearing a knock at her door, Lily gave Lady a quick chin scratch and asked her to be good, before scurrying to meet Jane. 

When she opened the door, Lily felt under-dressed. But then again, that's just how Jane made her feel about any occasion. 

Her friend's long golden hair was done up in an intricate bun, and her outfit consisted of a skin-tight, black sequined dress that fluttered blue in the light. Her heels were tall, making her tower over a 5'2 Lily.

"You look gorgeous Lilibet!" Jane squealed, grabbing Lily's arms to pull herto in a tight hug. 

Lily giggled and again tugged at her skirt, embarrased. 

"Are you sure? _You_ look ready for the Red Carpet." 

Jane waved off her comment. "Oh this was just an excuse for me to dress up. I'll be the odd duck, trust me!" 

Locking the door behind her, Lily looked up at her friend nervously. "You ready?" 

Her answer was another squeal and a tug on her sleeve as Jane hurried them both down to the taxi she came in. 

"You will have so much fun Lilibet, I promise!"

__________

Jane was right, she was having fun, the nightclub was a nice change of pace from the normal cramped environments that the common clubs provided. The dance floor was lit up, periodically changing colors and the songs they played ranged from your normal techno to popular tracks from the 80s and 90s. It was a two story building with an indoor balcony that allowed you to look down to the dance floor. 

Everyone seemed to give off a classy air about them and Lily felt less claustrophobic with the high ceilings and the smaller crowd. 

"How were we even allowed in such a place like this?" Lily asked, her voice raised to be heard over the bass. 

Sipping her drinking and swaying to the music Jane winked at her. "I know the bouncer. He comes to the bakery every weekend with his daughter. He was how I found out about this place." 

Lily nodded along to the music, not believing her good luck at being allowed in such a fancy establishment. 

Feeling Jane grab her hand, Lily watched as her friend downed her cocktail and subsequently dragged her to the dance floor. 

"Dance with me Lilibet!" Jane laughed. 

Indulging her, Lily mirrored Jane's moves as an unrecognizable song came on. Letting her thoughts float away, Lily closed her eyes and allowed the music to envelope her. 

She had so much to worry about, the bill's, the flower shop, and keeping her family at bay. Yet all those problems drained away as the music vibrated through her feet and up her body. Tonight would be _her_ night. None of her worries would reach her here.

_________

"This is beginning to be a pain in the ass Roy." Jason growled, leaning against the lit up bar.

Wearing a simple red dress shirt, black slacks and a pair of grey dress shoes, Jason felt similar to how he was when forced to attend Bruce's galas and charity banquets: incredibly bored. 

Roy, dressed similarly, nursed his brandy, his eyes trailing over the crowd. 

"I was told the owner would be here at some point tonight," he replied stiffly. 

"Maybe your informant was just shitty." Jason shot back.

"You never were a patient guy, Jason." Roy quipped lazily. 

Letting the insult roll off his back, Jason pulled out a cigarette and let the smoke ease his impatience. Letting his gaze roam, he found something catch his eye. 

Elbowing Roy, Jason tilted his head to the dance floor. Specifically, to two dancing women on the edge of the crowd. 

"I know her," Jason murmured, partly to himself.

Roy frowned, confused. "What? I can't hear you over the music bud!"

Glaring at Roy, Jason pointed his thumb to the smaller girl of the two. "I said I know her!" 

"From where?" 

Jason shook his head, turning his attention back to the women. "I'm not sure, I can't see her clearly enough but…" Then it hit him.

Letting out a single, sardonic laugh, Jason turned back to Roy. "She's the girl whose apartment I trashed." 

His best friend gawked at him, and burst out laughing himself. "You mean that chick who you saved the night after? Man, what a small world."

Jason smirked and took a longer drag of his cigarette. Feeling Roy nudge him, Jason saw him grinning like an idiot, his eyes still on the girls. Raising his eyebrow, Jason turned his attention back to them and saw that same girl head over their way. 

"Looks like you'll have another chance at first impressions buddy." Roy cackled, giving Jason a playful slap on the back. Glaring at the ginger, Jason's eyes followed the girl as she got closer. 

Eventually, she made it a few feet from them and turned to the bartender behind the counter the boys leaned on. 

Jason watched curiously as she gave the worker her drink order with a sweet smile. 

_So she_ doesn't _always have a stick up her ass…_ Jason thought, amused. 

In fact, when so laid back, he could appreciate her appearance. Still as small as ever, the girl was more leg than anything. With a short waist and average breasts, she was the type of girl that once you gave her a second look-over; was actually very pretty. 

Though a model by no means, her large eyes, and small frame gave her a much livelier air, something Jason never noticed when she had been glaring at him in terror or scorn like before.

Another rough nudge brought him back to the present. 

"You gonna talk to her?" Roy teased. 

Another drag. 

"No." Jason replied, letting the smoke hit the marksmen's face. 

Roy made a face before letting his hands run through his hair. "Well if you won't, then I will." 

Jason gritted his teeth. "Be my guest." He said apathetically.

__________

"Just two Mojitos please. Thank you." Lily slid her csrd across the counter to the bartender and gave him an appreciative smile. 

Feeling eyes on her, she turned her gaze to the right and saw two men around her age talking to each other in a hurried manner, their eyes occasionally looking at her. 

Lily felt uneasy just then, not wanting to have to deal with one of them trying to pick her up. Sadly, it seemed her luck from earlier had run out, because the slightly shorter of the two tall men began to swagger over to her. His light blue dress shirt made his short red hair stand out even more.

Lily didn't acknowledge his approach and quickly turned her head to stare at the bartender, willing him to make the drinks faster. 

"Care to let me pay for your drinks?" Came the smooth comment. 

Giving the man a quick smile that quickly disappeared off her face, Lily gave a resounding "No thank you," 

The man opened his mouth, but before she was forced to endure an awful pick up line, she interrupted him. 

"I've already paid for my drinks." 

The ginger gave a lopsided grin and leaned his elbow on the counter. 

"Just trying to be friendly, miss." He drawled. 

Lily nodded to her friend, who was still dancing. 

"I appreciate your offer but I already have a date." Lily replied coolly. Again, she gave a fleeting smile. 

The man made an "oh" face and nodded knowingly. "Your girlfriend?" 

Her drinks were finally handed to her and Lily gave a shrug and a smirk.

"Sure." 

Not waiting for a reply, she turned away and quickly headed back to Jane. 

_________

"You just got played, dumbass."

Roy turned back to his friend and stared at him, recounting the conversation in his head, the sudden realization hit him and he gave a long drawn out curse. 

"Its not my style to be pushy anyway," Roy shrugged. 

Jason continued to puff on his cigarette, eyeing the girl as she handed her friend her drink. Both girls clinked their drinks and began to resume their dancing. 

He noted that despite her unseeming appearance, the shorter girl had a good rhythmto her. Her body moved and swayed effortlessly to the music. Unlike the occasional dancer, she knew how to control her body. Jason would be lying if he said it wasn't an enjoyable sight to watch. 

Yet he forced his attention back to Roy. 

"Trust me, if she's still the same girl from a week ago, I bet she's some goodie-two-shoes who goes to church every sunday."

His friend opened his mouth to respond.

A sudden noise from the second floor above them led both men to look up. In that same moment a gunshot rang out and the once relaxed scene turned into mayhem. 

"What the hell just happened?" Jason shouted, dragging Roy to the ground with him, seeking shelter behind the bar. 

"I don't know, but I bet it's cartel related," came the answer. 

Jason cursed as another shot rang out. People fell over one another trying to escape the nightclub while others tried their luck hiding under tables.

Their struggle was quickly silenced as several rounds were shot into the ceiling and a loud voice screamed over the commotion. 

"Nobody fucking move!" 

Before the crowd could properly process what was going on, men with machine guns barged through the front doors, pushing the people back into the middle of the club. 

The voice continued.

"Until I find the fucker whose been screwing with my operation, no one leaves!" 

Shit, their mission had been blown. How the hell did these thugs find out? 

"Did you bring a gun?" Roy whispered. Jason glared at him incredulously. 

"You told me this would only be a scouting mission!" He hissed.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Since when do you _not_ have a gun?" Roy peered around the corner to look up before quickly pressing himself against the counter again. 

"Where would I keep it? These pants don’t exactly offer much room for a fucking pistol." Jason snapped back. "Maybe I should ask if you have your bow shoved up your ass!" 

His friend dragged his hand over his face. 

"What do we do then?" 

In this whole time the club had practically gone silent, people huddled together on the ground, sounds of quiet sobbing and praying could be heard.

Looking around, Jason's eyes zeroed in on the girl and her friend, who both now sat where they were dancing mere seconds before. The club's lights were turned on and the ambiance of the place quickly turned bleak. All the elegant and rich atmosphere of before was shattered. 

Jason stared at the two girls a bit longer. Before turning back to Roy, he deadpanned: 

"I'll surrender myself. While their attention is drawn on me, you find a way out."

Roy didn't even take a moment to consider. "Fuck that, I'm not leaving you here." 

Jason sneered at him. "Aw, how romantic of you," his expression morphed back into a frown. "But we don't have time for you to be sentimental. I'll hand myself over-"

"This is suicidal!"

"-and I'll try and convince them to let you and the others go. For all these guys know I'm an undercover cop." 

"And then what huh? You'll be killed on the spot." 

This made Jason give a lopsided grin. "Please, with my winning personality it'll at least buy you 10 minutes to rescue my ass." 

"10 _minutes_?!"

"I said at least." 

Roy shook his head. "No. This is my fault we're in this mess, I'll do it." 

Jason gave a solemn, knowing look and nodded, patting his best friend's shoulder. 

"Yeah, you're right...except," Roy looked up and saw Jason's eyes glint. "I wasn't asking." 

Before he could comment, Jason stood up with his hands raised. Roy tried to pull him back down but he was already making his way to the center of the floor. His gaze unwavering, Jason stared at the man demanding his presence. 

"Alright!" Jason called, bringing the man's attention down to him. The sound of hushed murmurs and the sounds of guns maneuvering to aim at him echoed, Jason continued calmly. "I'm your guy. Now let the others go."

The man- who Jason assumed to be the club owner they had been looking for- gave a loud echoing laugh. He was an exceedingly overweight fellow, wearing a suit of almost all white. He almost resembled a villian from those detective movies of the 50's, the only thing he was missing was a colorful zoot suit. 

" _You?_ I expected some old graying detective!" The owner guffawed. His underlings chuckled around him. 

"I'm an undercover cop, we gotta blend in." Jason lied. Better to pretend to be a man in blue rather than a roof jumping, red helmet wearing, vigilante. That wouldn't do well for him at all. 

"Now that you have me," Jason continued on. "I ask that you please release the others." 

The man frowned, lighting a cigar. Puffing on it for a few seconds, he finally replied: "Why?"

"Because if you continue holding hostages, you'll never leave. Trust me, you'll have better luck escaping if you just have me."

"How 'bout I just shoot you now and get it over with." 

Jason planned for such a question. 

"Because I'm not the only undercover cop snooping around your operation. Several others are scattered all across town. I can show them to you." 

The owner's face darkened. "You're bluffing." 

Jason smiled, his raised hands slowly lowered. 

"If I don’t deliver, you can just shoot me." 

"You seem highly confident for a kid who's dying either way." 

"It's a policeman's honor to give up his life to protect others." The lies flowed so effortlessly out of his mouth that Jason nearly scared himself. He was never a fan of the police, as a kid they were the same men who roughed him up as a child living on the streets. And the obvious, overly stilted words made him want to puke. Nevertheless, he kept his composure.

"What have you to gain by killing these people? Let them go now, and this doesn't need to get messy."

The owner seemed to ponder his words for a moment before snapping his fingers. The sound of lowering guns followed and Jason let out a sigh. 

"Bring him to me, and get these other people outta here." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to post chapters regularly and as the plot begins to thicken a bit more I also hope to increase the length of said chapters. I already have the start of the fourth chapter which I think you guys will like! 
> 
> Also, fyi the song lyrics I post at the beginning are mostly there to set the general mood of the chapter, and they are also my main inspiration as well! 
> 
> The next chapter should be posted in the next couple of days. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter Four: Returning the Favor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for any spelling errors, I'm considering on finding a beta, but im not too sure yet.

_These streets, they're mean_

_You gotta fight if you want to eat_

_It's blood and bone_

_The blacktop's got a heart of stone_

_They're mean, these streets_

_They're gonna try to take you_

_Never let 'em break you_

These Streets, City Wolf

Her heart stopped when she heard the gunshot. For a split second she expected the Red Hood to crash through the ceiling and ruin her night a third time, but the reality was far worse. 

People began to scramble as Lily instinctively grabbed Jane's arm, steering her toward an emergency exit. The sound of a man's voice demanding the crowd to stop fell on deaf ears until Lily was forced to halt in her tracks. 

Entering from all entrances to the building, were men armed to the teeth, their faces covered. 

This time, it was Jane who pulled Lily back to their original spot on the dance floor. 

"Someone's gotta be calling the cops right?" Jane whispered as the man above them continued shouting. 

Lily shushed her. The very mention of cops could get them shot. 

This time, a different man's voice filled the room, it was smooth and determined. Whipping her head around, she witnessed the friend of the man who approached her earlier stand up with his arms raised. 

The first thing that got her attention was the flash of white she could make out in the man's thick, messy black hair. Facing mostly the back of him, Lily could see he had an incredibly toned back and long legs that resembled a professional athlete's. 

In different circumstances, Lily would have taken her time to appreciate the man's broad shoulders that narrowed into a slim waist, seeing how the muscles rippled under the fabric of his shirt, but she had more urgent things on her mind. 

"I'm your guy. Now let the others go." The man called. His stance never wavering an inch. 

Lily watched in awe as he bartered for the lives of everyone in the club. Did she hear him mention he was a cop?

She held her breath for what seemed to be the entire conversation. When the man on the second floor gave his permission for the people to go, Lily let out a sigh of relief. 

After tonight, she was probably never going to wish for anything again. As Jane tugged her up and pressed them both into the rushing crowd, the last thing she saw were those goons closing in on the mysterious hero. 

______

"So tell me pig, where are your partners?" 

The owner of the club took a seat on one of the many lush couches, his overweight body struggling to spill out of his expensive ivory suit. 

Jason paused and began to look around, pretending to be impressed while secretly looking for possible exits. 

The roof was too far up with no cover, he'd be dead before he could reach one of the beams. He could maybe jump back down to the first floor but he would be unable to get to the front door. It would also take too much time and increase his risk of being shot. 

His third option? Glancing at the floor-to-ceiling windows, Jason made his choice. 

"Oi! Stop fuckin' around!" The owner spat.

Giving the man his full attention, Jason effortlessly gave fake names and locations. Pretending to pause and think on several occasions for maximum effect. While trying to extend Roy's time to return, with each excruciatingly slow second he felt his chances of survival dwindling exponentially. 

It had been less than 7 minutes.

"You're not telling me the complete truth are ya boy?" 

Jason grinned and shrugged. "What else would you like to know?" 

"Who are you working for? For real? You're too confident to be a cop." 

"What I said was the truth. I'm an undercover cop for the GCPD." 

"Where's your badge then?" 

Jason couldn't help giving a patronizing smile. 

"That would be a rookie mistake wouldn't it?"

"If you're not going to tell me nothin' else, then you've outgrown your usefulness," the man snapped his fingers. "Shoot'em."

Jason raised his hands quickly. 

"Hold on! Don't you want to know about the guy who gave me this info?"

The owner raised his hand to his gunman. 

_Hurry the fuck up Roy!_ Jason thought. He didn't plan on dying tonight. He had counted 10 men earlier. On normal occasions, this amount of enemies would be a piece of cake. But seeing as how he was now unarmed and didn't even have the advantage of surprise, he knew that if made a move, he'd be filled with lead in milliseconds. 

He'd need a distraction. Something to get the mens' attention nearest to him. Do that, and he'd have a gun to even the playing field. 

"He calls himself the Red Hood," Jason offered.

The club owner gave a hacking laugh. 

"That crazy son-of-a-bitch has been targeting my men left and right. Why would he send you? He could've easily done this himself." He waved his hand as if to shoo Jason away. "Now you're really wasting my time kid." 

It had now been 10 minutes. Jason gritted his teeth. He could stall for maybe 5 more minutes. After that, He would have to take the chance of trying to escape on his own. 

"I'm not lying. The Red Hood may act like he's a loner but he has men like me on the inside." Lies atop of lies. Hardly anybody would buy this crap, but Jason felt that if as long as he was talking, he was breathing. So off he went. Fabricating a reason and execution of a plan that never existed. 

The boss was losing patience, his pointer finger impatiently tapped on the armrest. 

"You must think I'm an idiot, kid."

Jason heard the sound of sirens from outside. It seems the real police were arriving. The men turned their attention to the door and he smiled. 

He made his move.

In an instant he disabled the henchman that had been nearest to him. Taking his gun Jason shot him as well as the two others next to him. It all happened in under 2 seconds. 

"It's not that hard to imagine." Jason quipped. Before the owner could move his head, it was no longer attached to his body. 

The panicking men began to fire, bullets zipped past Jason as he dodged their fire. Pulling himself across another sofa for cover. He was mere feet from one of the windows now.

"What the fuck do we do now?!" He heard one of the men screame 

Jason took that opportunity to shoot the glass and rushed towards the edge. The bullets followed his path as he leapt out, at that exact moment he hoped for a soft landing. 

He got his wish-sorta. Landing on a pile of trash bags, Jason looked around and found himself in the alleyway.

Holding his breath and clutching the gun closer to his chest, Jason strained his ears to listen to the men above him. 

"Fuck this man, dudes' probably dead anyway."

"The cops are already outside. I'm headin' out."

"I shoulda taken that job with the Black Mask, I fuckin' swear." 

The sound of retreating footsteps followed.

Jason inhaled to laugh but a sharp, familiar pain made him flinch. 

"Shit…" He winced. Looking down at his red dress shirt. Jason saw a darker shade of red start to appear on the top of his chest next to his left arm. 

"Shit!" Jason repeated louder. An intake of breath and he felt another searing pain. A white flash of pure agony rushed through his body and he coughed. That must be the second bullet.

 _How many times did those fuckers get me?_ Now, more than ever, he needed Roy. Hopefully that idiot had enough sense to bring some medical supplies. 

Feeling around, Jason discovered three other entry wounds. Two were at his side, the other on the outside of his left thigh. 

With every heartbeat a rush of pain from all five bullet wounds flowed throughout his body. 

But it wasn't the pain that would kill him. Putting his hand over the small hole in his chest, Jason inhaled deeply; or at least tried to. The effort caused him to wince again. 

"Collapsed lung," he whispered to himself. 

No, the pain wouldn't kill him, but the increasing blood loss and a trauma-induced pneumothorax certainly would. 

\-----

She did not have a good feeling at all about this. As Jane tugged Lily along, she couldn't help but remember the sobering image of that man being slowly circled by those thugs. 

When they were a few blocks down the street, Lily stopped in her tracks. Jane turned and looked at her, her chest heaving. "Why'd you stop?" She gasped out. 

Looking back to where they came from, Lily stared. "Do you think that guy got away?" She whispered. 

"I'm sure the cops will help him, now come on Lily, I wanna go home!" Her friend cried. 

She was silent for a moment before turning back to Jane, her eyes resolute. "Then go home." 

"What?" 

"Go home," Lily repeated softly. "I need to make sure the cops at least rescued him in time." 

"Have you lost your mind!" It was a question, but the way Jane phrased it left no room for an answer. Lily stepped back, this was the first time hearing her friend so full of anger. 

"We're alive because of him Jane! I don't plan on bursting in there hoping to rescue him! I just want to go back and see if the cops had arrived and if they found him. And.. if he's okay…" 

Jane was shaking her head. Her beautiful face scrunched into a scowl marred with confusion. 

"You must be in shock Lily, I'm not letting you go back there." 

"You can't drag me all the way back home Jane, my place is nearly two miles away." 

"I don't care! Do you even know what you're saying?" 

Lily gave a rueful smile. "Yes, I do. I will call you as soon as I find out what happened to him. I promise. If there's no cops, I'll assume the worst and call a cab."

Jane lifted a finger. "First off, what kind of friend would I be if I let you walk around town _alone_ , and at _night_. Second, you're obviously an idiot. So no, Lily, you're not. Going. Back." 

Silence followed. After several seconds of staring each other down, Lily gave a long sigh and reached down to remove her small heels. 

"What are you doing?" 

"These shoes start to hurt after awhile," Lily explained. "And they'll make a good weapon if I encounter trouble." 

Jane gaped at her and shook her head again, this time, in pure shock. "I can't believe this…" 

Lily went in to hug and reassure her friend but Jane moved back.

"No." She spat. Lily paused, surprised at the fire in her friend's eyes. "I'm not going to support this. Lily," Jane's voice softened lightly. "Please, just come home, you can stay at my place. Just...please don't go back there." 

Lily looked back over her shoulder again and thought for a second. Every bone in her body screamed to go back. That man had done an incredibly selfless act, even if it was his job, it didn't make the gesture any less meaningful. The least she could do was check to see if he had survived. The sound of sirens farther down, past where she could see, decided for her. 

Turning back to Jane, Lily gave her friend a hard stare. "Go home, Jane. I'll call you as soon as I can." 

Lily turned on her bare heel and began to retrace her steps back to the club. Ignoring her friend's desperate cries to come back, she clenched her shoes in a tight grip. She would be quick. She just needed to find that man. 

\-----

This was bad. Jason had ripped one of the sleeves off his shirt to use as a tourniquet for his thigh but he didn't have anything to stop the bleeding from his sides. 

Taking deep breaths through his nose, he forced his racing heart to slow down, which was incredibly difficult when he was still reeling from the adrenaline. 

_C'mon think of something. You need to stay awake!_ He encouraged himself. After a short while, he began to list off the things he needed to get done. First on his list: beat the crap out of Roy for being the slowest man alive. How long had it been? 20 minutes? Did the fucker get lost?

Trying his best to get oxygen into his lungs, Jason heard the sound of cops approaching near the alley. Shoving the gun under the trashbags, he scrunched his body close to the brick wall holding his breath to keep still, he heard them come within feet of him, their flashlights carving their way across the darkness. 

Hearing them give a negative for anyone who was left, the cops began to retreat back to the front of the building. When listening further, he realised the cops were now giving their attention to finding the rest of the criminals. He heard the sound of doors slamming and cars pulling away after several long minutes.

Giving a sigh of relief, Jason relaxed his body as best he could. The searing pain of the bullets started to become a dull ache, with the wounds only becoming unbearable when he moved. 

Seeing movement in the corner of his eye, Jason reflexively scrunched in again, clenching his jaw to prevent himself from letting out a gasp of pain. 

Who was it now? Ignoring the spasms that coursed across his ribs as he leaned forward, Jason saw who it was. 

A girl? No, wait...you're not serious...it was _that_ girl! 

She was looking right at him. Barefoot and still in that outfit of hers, she approached slowly as if he were a wild animal. Jason glared at her. This chick was mental. 

She was about 3 feet away from him when she leaned forward: "Are you alright?" 

\---- 

Lily couldn't believe her luck, not only did she find the man, but he was alive!

She had thought she'd lost her chance as she witnessed the cops pull away from the club. Yet as she made a move to turn back, she heard rustling in the alley in front of her. Taking cautious steps, she peered in to see the very person she was looking for.

He saw her the moment she entered the alleyway. The man's shocked face morphed into a deep frown. Earlier tonight, all she could remember seeing of him was his back and the glimpse of the white streak in his hair. Yet now, even in the darkness she could tell he was handsome. Dare she say ruggedly handsome? 

He had a well defined jaw, deep set eyes that she couldn't fully make out but could see that they were bright. His features were strong, yet Lily also felt that he had the remnants of a baby-face that had been slowly worn away from a harsh life. 

She approached him slowly, feeling that he may run at the slightest sudden movement. His piercing eyes looked almost wild as he glared at her. Why was he angry? 

She leaned forward, and asked softly: "Are you alright?" 

\-----

He wanted to laugh. But his deflated lung had other ideas and instead he sneered. "Do I look alright to you?" His voice was rough as his entire body struggled to remain alive.

This woman was crazy, why the hell would she come back? Did she want to die? Thinking back on the two times he saw her before, Jason partially believed that, in fact, yes, she did want to get herself killed. 

The girl flinched, it seemed as her eyes adjusted more to the dark alley and as she looked over his body she could fully comprehend the man before her. He heard her gasp. 

Jason rolled his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed, clutching his abdomen.

She opened her mouth to respond but closed it again. 

After a second, she finally answered.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." 

At that, Jason did laugh but regretted it instantly as he began to cough up more blood. He heard another gasp and saw the girl quickly close the remaining gap between them as she sat on her shins, her hands hovering over him as he covered his palm over his mouth. 

Tears appeared at the corners of his eyes as the force from the hacking brought about repeated waves of soul crushing pain that racked his entire body. 

When they eventually subsided he looked at his palm and frowned. The blood was dark. 

"We need to call an ambulance." He heard her say. Whipping his head to look at her, he panicked as he saw the girl lift her phone to dial 911. Grabbing her wrist with his clean hand he forced her to stop. 

"No. Hospitals." He snarled. 

Her large green eyes looked at him in confusion. His strength quickly weaning, he let her slip out of his grip as he slumped back over. 

"It'll...draw attention." He gasped, explaining in a much softer tone. The girl shook her head. 

"But why does that matter? You need medical attention-"

"Hospitals are required to report all gunshot victims to the police!" He interrupted. 

It was her turn to frown at him. 

"So? You're a cop." 

He stared at her blankly. After a few seconds, it seemed to click in the girl's head and she leaned slighly back. 

"You're not an actual cop...are you?" 

Jason just smiled. Leaning back, he rested his hands atop his abdomen. His bleeding had slowed down a long time ago, and the position helped ease the pain a little. 

"If you're not a cop...then why did you do that?" 

"Do what?" 

The girl gestured to the building he was leaning on. "Save us! You risked your life for complete strangers." 

Jason stared at her again, analyzing her. He had accepted that she was attractive in a cute sort of way, but being with her much closer now, he caught a whiff of her scent. It was a refreshing smell, if he were poetic enough he might describe it as the smell of the air after it rained. It was earthy and calming and its faintness encouraged him to lean in, and- oh god he was becoming delirious. 

"Someone had to do it." He looked away from her. Not willing to explain that it was kind of expected from him to do that kind of thing- being a vigilante and all. 

"It was incredibly brave what you did." Her tone made him turn his head back to her. Her gaze made him uncomfortable. She looked at him as if he was the most incredible thing in the world. He tried to shift himself but winced. If he had any blood to spare he'd probably be blushing right now. 

"Thank you." 

Jason's eyebrows raised hearing that. He had been thanked before for doing nice things but...seeing the person who the last time he saw looking at him with contempt, now sincerely thanking him, was an odd juxtaposition. 

He averted his eyes again. Not knowing what to do with himself. 

"You're welcome…" he mumbled. 

An awkward silence followed. Hearing her shuffle, Jason saw in the corner of his eye as she picked up her phone again. He stiffened but she quickly raised a hand to stop him, explaining: 

"I promised someone I would call them when I was safe." 

Jason relaxed slightly, but was still prepared to knock the phone out of her hand if she was lying. 

He heard the phone on the other end ring for several seconds before someone picked up. He could make out a woman's voice. She seemed to be yelling.

Watching intently, Jason witnessed the girl's expression morph into apologetic, frustrated, and finally, to resolute. 

"Jane, I told you I'd be fine and I was. I understand why you're angry and I'm sorry but-"

The woman named Jane interrupted her. Whatever Jane said made the girl look straight at Jason, making him narrow his eyes, warning her to keep her mouth shut. 

Her eyes searched his face before she answered. "The cops said they found him. He's alright." 

Jason let himself relax again. Closing his eyes he pretended not to listen.

"Please Jane...It's not like I do this all the time. Can we talk more tomorrow?" 

Whatever Jane's response was, caused the girl in front of him to look hurt. 

"What? Jane you can't-" Jane hung up. 

The girl's arm holding the phone became limp, letting her phone fall heavily into her lap. She looked so frail as her head drooped, her attention focused solely on the blank screen of her phone. 

"Everything okay?" Jason didn't particularly care, but the last thing he needed was some sobbing chick making his night all the more difficult. 

The girl shook her head and gave him her full attention again. 

"You're bleeding," she commented softly, changing the subject. 

Jason scoffed. "News to me."

She ignored him and shuffled even closer, Jason leaned away. "What are you doing?" He winced as his body objected to his moving. 

"What can I do to help?" 

He glared at her cooly. "Unless you know how to perform a needle Thoracostomy, you can't." 

The medical terminology felt weird on his tongue but after being Batman's sidekick and enduring hundreds of injuries to every inch of his body, you either learn fast or die.

She gave him a confused look and he shook his head. Motioning with his good arm to his wounded chest he explained curtly. "My left lung has collapsed. I need something to release the pressure." 

Her expression turned helpless. "I'm sorry I don't have a needle-"

"It wouldn't matter if you did. I can't just stick some random sharp thing in my side...besides" Jason tried to give a large inhale. "I have someone on the way who can help." 

Silence followed them but it wasn't terribly awkward. Jason's eyes began to lower when- 

"What's your name?" 

Jason paused, should he be honest? Or just partially honest? Or maybe he should just outright lie? 

He opened his mouth to give a bullshit answer but was shocked to find his mouth had made a different decision: 

"Jason." 

The girl smiled. "Nice to meet you Jason." 

He didn't like how she said his name. It was too kind and made it seem like he was someone she met on the corner of the street, rather than a man slowly dying in an alley atop a bunch of trash. 

"And your name?" 

At least he could use this opportunity to stay awake. Jason was beginning to feel his hands and feet get cold.

"Lily."

Jason gave a hum. Now he had a name to the many faces of this woman. 

"Well Lily, if you're so desperate to help, then keep annoying me. I need to stay awake." 

Lily paused, thinking a moment. Jasom took that second to be surprised his passive-aggressive commentary seemed to roll off her back. He was of the mind that if he had been Red Hood she'd have insulted him right back. 

"So if you aren't a cop, what do you do?"

Shit, what should he say? This woman seemed to have so many sides to her character that he felt that if he gave away his identity then she'd probably finish him off herself. 

Jason would later blame the lack of oxygen to his brain for his half-assed answer: 

"I mostly do free-lance work." 

"Oh," Lily's face turned up to him and Jason looked awake again. Not liking her close contact. 

"Such as?" 

He gritted his teeth. "Whatever is paying at the moment I guess." 

Lily gave a shy smile. 

"Well I work at a flower shop a couple blocks down," 

Jason didn't recall asking. 

Lily straightened herself up and tucked a hair behind her ear.

"It's actually _my_ flower shop. I bought it when I moved here."

He just stared at her, his blank look made the girl embarrassed. 

"It's not a very big business, and I don't plan on doing this forever but I enjoy it." She explained hurriedly 

Jason made a noncommittal noise and felt his eyes begin to droop. He was prepared to ask a follow up question when the sound of feet landing on the other side of him made him jump. Whipping his head around, Jason inherently stuck out his hand to keep Lily behind him. 

When his eyes finally adjusted, Jason relaxed his arm and gave the loudest sigh his one good lung would allow. 

"Well If it isn't my knight in shining armor!"

"Did he just jump down from the roof?" 

Both Jason and Lily commented at the same time. 

Roy hadn't bothered to put on his garb, he looked about as bad as Jason, minus the gunshot wounds. His entire body racked with sweat, and his legs shook with adrenaline. With him, he carried one of jason's guns and his bow and arrows slung over his shoulder. Around his waist was a belt that carried an advanced emergency aid kit. 

Running over to his friend, Roy crouched down and looked over Jason. 

"Collapsed left lung," Jason explained. 

Without a word, Roy nodded and reached into one of the compartments on the belt. He pulled out a hollowed out needle that was several inches long with a wider opening at the end. Lifting the side of Jason's shirt, Roy smoothly inserted the needle into his upper left side, right below his pectoral muscle. 

Jason winced and could hear Lily give a hiss of sympathy. In moments Jason felt a release of pressure as his lung re-expanded. Taking in deep breaths he let himself relax. 

Removing the needle, Roy lifted Jason's good arm around his shoulder. "Can you walk?" 

"Kinda…" 

Both Roy and Lily slowly rose as Jason stood up, who was not putting any weight on his right leg. 

Roy glanced at Lily and nodded. "Thank you for watching him for me." 

Recognizing this was the same man from the bar earlier Lily smiled and nodded, not really knowing how to respond. 

With Roy supporting him, both men began to walk slowly out the alley. The ginger paused and turned his head to the woman following them. 

"Do you have a way back home?" 

Lily nodded again. "I can call an Uber." She said. 

Roy smiled in thanks and both he and Jason began to walk down the sidewalk in the opposite direction she was headed. As she watched them for a moment, she saw Jason's hand lift up for Roy to pause. 

Turning around slowly, Jason tilted his head toward her. Staring for a moment, he quickly averted his eyes again and muttered. 

"Thanks, kid." 

Lily felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. That nickname was the same one that Red Hood used. The thought passed as quickly as it came and Lily decided it was mere coincidence and gave a good-natured reply: 

"You're welcome, and I'm not a kid!" 

Jason looked up, his eyes meeting hers, his eyebrows raised momentarily before he gave a small smile. 

"Understood ma'am. See ya' 'round." 

Lily watched a bit longer as the two odd men made their way down the street. 

Tonight had not been what she'd expected. Her bones ached with sudden exhaustion and her eyes burned expressing their want for sleep. And as she dialed for an Uber, Lily felt confident that tonight would be the start of better days to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That's a lot of words! 
> 
> We get to see Jason's assholish side a bit more in this chapter (maybe also a bit of his shy side too?) But hopefully it doesnt feel too forced.
> 
> On to the next chapter!


	5. Chapter Five: New Beginnings in Familiar Places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% happy with this chapter. Spent way too long writing and rewriting it. 
> 
> It may seem like things are moving fast but trust me, theres an angst tag for a reason, and everyone knows drama is a downer on romance. 
> 
> Despite my issues with this chapter I hope you guys still enjoy it! 
> 
> P.s. what'd you guys think of the Batman: Gotham knights trailer? Looks pretty promising to me!

_Life under the boardwalk_

_People down here talk_

_I know who you're running from_

_I'm sorry but you're never gonna get far_

_There's only so much that I can say_

_So many times that I can wait_

_Drown on the end of a big wave_

_It all gets washed up here, ooh_

_Welcome to the Neighborhood_ , Boston Manor

**1 Week Later**

As she moved along the short aisles of her shop, broom in hand, Lily recalled her night at the club and the subsequent downward spiral of her friendship with Jane. 

Ever since she had the confirmation Lily was safe, Jane ignored her friend's calls and even avoided her when Lily tried to meet her at her bakery. 

Lily understood why Jane did it. From Jane's perspective, her best friend had completely disregarded her worries and abandoned her 10 minutes after an incredibly traumatizing event.

Yes, she understood perfectly, and if the roles were reversed, Lily would probably be just as pissed. But that night had given Lily a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time: Confidence. Confidence in her feelings and confidence in what she wanted. And she had wanted to help the man who committed one of the most selfless acts she had ever seen. 

_Jason._

That had been his name. It was fitting. He was another subject she couldn't get her mind off of. She would lay awake at night wondering if he ended up okay and in the back of her mind she wondered if she'd ever see him again. 

He didn't seem to be a fun man to talk to, she had met more charismatic people with less angst and a helluva lot more to offer than grunts and one-liners, but Jason was something else entirely. 

He had been an asshole in the small amount of time she knew him, but that was juxtaposed by the compassionate act she witnessed earlier. He would snap at her one moment and quietly glance away the next. 

Lifting up the dustpan, Lily dumped the collected dirt and grime into the trash and began to close up for the day. Business had been slow this week. She wasn't in any danger of missing her bills just yet, but a boost in customers would certainly help her sleep at night. 

Locking the door behind her and checking the flowers that rested on the windowsill one last time, she began to walk home, when a familiar flyer posted to a lamp post gave her pause. 

It was that dance studio from before, the one Jane had mentioned. It was 6:00 pm but she did read that they were open until 7:30. 

Looking at its address, Lily found it was just one street over from her shop. Ever since Jane's silent treatment, she hadn't even considered visiting the place, seeing as it was supposed to be something both her and Jane were to do together. But seeing as how that wasn't going to happen in the near future, Lily decided to check out the place herself. 

Turning on her heel, she began to walk the opposite direction and headed toward the dance studio. 

_____

Jason watched the sun started to set from his place on the beat-up sofa. The light had begun to reflect off the skyscrapers in the distance, burning his eyes. 

But he wasn't paying attention to that. Letting out a long sigh through his nose, he threw an arm over his face to give his retinas a rest. 

No, he wasn't thinking about the sunlight blinding him, or how his arm was screaming at him, reminding him of the bullet now forever lodged in his body. He didn't even bother thinking about how Roy had put him under house arrest. 

No, he wasn't thinking about any of those things. What he _was_ thinking about, was _that night_. 

The night which gave him new scars and aching bones. Even more specifically: That girl. 

Lily. 

She confused him, which wasn't supposed to happen. He'd spent his entire life profiling people. Knowing what made them tick, what to expect from them. When he was adopted by Bruce, those skills were honed to perfection. 

The only person who had ever made him second guess himself was Joker. But this was different. Instead of fear, he felt aggravated. 

He was 99.9% sure she posed no threat. She would be a minor inconvenience at best except she wasn't. Ever since that night, Jason would play back in his head her reactions and expressions. Comparing them to how she reacted with Red Hood. 

She seemed to be a person of extremes. Extreme fear, anger, and then...kindness? Was that it was? 

Lily. 

That was her name. 

Lily, the girl who owned a flower shop. Jason smiled under his arm at the humor of it all. 

As he continued running through his head the record of events, his mind kept returning to her eyes. 

Those ridiculously kind, patient eyes that looked at him with so much admiration. He didn't know what to do with it. Compared to when he first met her and when she stared up at him in terror, tears brimming at the corners before eventually falling to her cheeks. And that second time, where she decided to argue with him on the ethics of murdering people he didn't like. 

That second night, admiration was the farthest thing from how she glared at him. 

In the back of his head he recalled Roy teasing him, daring him to go and thank the girl. 

"That's probably the only chick who's ever approached you first, and not immediately regretting it."

That comment had made Jason frown. 

"You are the last person who should be giving me advice on women." 

"At least I've had a relationship that lasted more than a night." 

"Who's saying I'm looking for a relationship?" 

Roy smirked and shrugged. Already dressed in his red garb for the night on patrol, he grabbed his bow. "Nobody. I'm just trying to teach you some manners. Who knows what would've happened if she didn't find you?"

"All she did was talk my goddamned ear off." 

"Which!" Roy swirled around and pointed at his friend accusingly, "kept your sorry ass from falling into a coma."

The rest of the conversation ended up being a back and forth before Roy headed out, telling Jason to either clean up the place or go and thank that girl. 

Looking now at the strewn across clothes that either had mud, grease, blood or all of the above on them, Jason had made his decision.

\---- 

Walking out of the dance studio with the biggest grin on her face, Lily clutched the brochure given to her by one of the instructors. 

The lady had been kind and welcoming. Asking if she had any past experience with dancing and what she hoped to learn from the class.

The first 3 classes were free and after that you could sign up for a monthly membership fee. The price of the classes did worry her a bit. 

Walking back the way she had come; Lily did the math in her head. Biting her lip, she scrunched up the brochure slightly as she realized that she couldn't afford such a commitment. Especially if business continued to be as slow as it was. 

The last thing she wanted to do was call her family to ask for help, that would be a disaster. She preferred to keep them out of her life as much as possible. Yet Lily still had to deal with the regular voicemails from her mother, guilt-tripping her for moving so far away even though it was _her idea_. 

Folding the paper tightly, Lily stuck the brochure in her back pocket. Maybe she could save up little by little. By Christmas she could maybe buy a one-month membership or two.

As she made her way up the street of where her shop was, she noticed a tall figure shuffling at the front of it. 

Lily frowned; she had a sign that clearly stated her hours. 

As she got closer, her heart started to beat faster as she was able to discern who it was. It had been dark that night, but she would recognize that chiseled jaw anywhere. 

The man -Jason, she recalled- stood leaning back on his heels, hands in his pockets as he looked up at the plain white letters of her shop sign that said "Flower Shop" at the top. 

He wore a pair of old black jeans, red sneakers, and a white t-shirt that Lily felt was one size too small. She wasn't complaining though. 

As she approached, Jason turned his attention to her, his expression almost surprised at seeing her. Reaching up to rub the back of his neck he gave her a sideways glance as he motioned toward the store. 

"I uh- thought I was too late in catching 'ya."

Lily raised an eyebrow and stopped a couple paces from him. "You did, luckily I was still in the neighborhood." 

She hadn't noticed before, but hearing him talk clearly, Lily could hear a faint city accent resembling a New Yorker's, it gave his deep voice a little bit of roughness. 

Jason shuffled his feet and gave a nod, looking down. "Yeah…" 

An awkward silence followed as the two tried to think of something else to say. 

"How's your wounds?" 

Jason stiffened. 

"Ah well...y'know...they're uh...they're good...y'know…" He rubbed the back of his neck again. 

Lily's smile grew. Definitely not the talker-type. 

"I'm glad. How'd you end up finding my place anyway?" 

This question seemed to relax him as he gave another shrug and the smallest of smiles. 

"You said you had a flower shop...not many of those in Gotham." 

"Fair enough," she hummed. 

There was a long pause. Clearing her throat Lily pointed to the front door. 

"Want me to show you around?" 

Jason raised his hands and shook his head. 

"I shouldn't...I uh, just came here to say...thanks...y'know...for the other night." 

Lily shrugged. "I didn't really do anything," before another long pause could follow, she leaned forward and picked her keys from her pocket, unlocking the shop's door. 

"But since you're here, I don't mind giving you a tour." She looked over her shoulder and gave Jason one of her welcoming customer-service smiles. 

Entering, she turned on the lights and noticed he still was standing outside. He resembled a nervous kid with his hands still in his pockets and his eyes looking every which way but her. 

"It's really no trouble," She offered. 

Looking at her full on now, Lily could finally see the color of his eyes. They were the brightest blue she'd ever seen. Absolutely beautiful but unnerving at the same time. They stood out even more from his dark hair. 

Hiding her rising blush, Lily hurried to the front counter to give the man his space to come in. Like a nervous stray he seemed to need at least several feet between them to make any move inside the store. 

His expression was neutral as he looked around. Lily couldn't help but laugh on the inside at how cramped he seemed in the small space. 

Looking down the front aisle that held ceramic pots and bags of soil, Jason turned his piercing gaze back to her. 

Her heart started to beat faster again. Why did he have to look so intimidating? The man acted like a brick-wall, giving away nothing. She had to take cues from his body language to even discern if he liked the place. 

Returning his impassive stare with a nervous one of her own, she waited for his verdict. 

She could hear her blood rushing with how silent everything was when- 

"It's small,"

She couldn't help but let out a snort. 

"Sorry to disappoint," she retorted lightly. 

His gaze left hers and Lily felt like she could relax again. Moving away from the front counter she began to walk down the aisles toward the back, motioning occasionally to different supplies and gardening tools. 

"I have a small greenhouse in the back where I hold most of my plants, if you'd like to see." She explained. 

She could hear his faint footfalls as he followed several steps behind, still maintaining an odd distance. 

He made a hum or grunt of acknowledgment here and there as she continued to list off the things she sold. 

_Why am I doing this? He probably doesn't even give a shit!_

Glancing behind her, she saw Jason pause to look at the decorative watering globes she had. 

"So, what was a guy like you doing at 'The Silver Spoon'?" She asked, trying to keep a steady conversation going as she made her way to the very back. 

"You ask a lot of questions." Came his curt response, he picked up one of the globes, turning it here and there before setting it back down. Holding the door handle, Lily raised her eyebrows and gave him a curious look. 

"And you don't ask any." 

Stopping a couple feet from her (his invisible bubble still keeping him from getting any closer) he leaned back and ran a hand through his thick hair. 

"I have nothing _to_ ask." 

Lily felt a small sting in her chest at that, but years of dealing with backhanded barbs and rude comments allowed her to let the feeling wash away. 

Opening the back door now, she gave him a flippant wave of her hand. 

"Then you'll humor me by answering all of mine."

She heard him give a soft sigh. 

The green room they entered was a third of the length of the shop, with a window-paned slanted roof and wall that let in the sunlight. 

"This room was built by the previous owners. It was actually them who started the flower shop," Lily explained. 

Stepping further into the room to allow him in, she looked up as the last bits of the sunset let in its pinkish light through the windows and continued: 

"When they finally passed away, they left this building; aging plants and all," Looking back down to face him she gave a modest shrug. 

"It made the place cheaper." 

Against every corner were wooden tables that held assorted flowers. Jason looked around, feeling the suffocating humidity grow on him slowly. 

"What made you want to buy this place?" 

Her eyes widened, wow, he finally asked a question. 

“Well I mean,” twiddling her fingers, she began to mess with one of the plants beside her, an English Ivy it was called. Finding something to keep her hands busy, she twisted the vine gently between her fingers. 

“Multiple reasons I guess... “ Glancing up at him through her bangs, Lily saw that Jason had kept his eyes on her, his heavy brow furrowed at her weak answer. “...I wanted to get away from my home.” she finally answered. That was partially the truth. His expression didn’t change and Lily was beginning to regret bringing him into her little sanctuary. She didn’t want to reveal her family issues and her complicated college life. To explain why she had this place would require an entire day's worth of context and hard truths that she didn’t want to reveal to a man she barely knew. 

“Why?” 

Giving a weak laugh, Lily shook her head. “Y’know, maybe it's best that I just stick to asking the questions.” 

He finally seemed to catch on that she didn't want to talk about it and gave a small nod, humming at her quip. Another silence followed. Finally removing her fingers from the ivy, she motioned toward the door that led back into the shop. “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you, if you have somewhere to be I-” Jason was shaking his head before she even finished, his expression seemed aggravated, but Lily felt that it wasn't aimed at her. “No, no, it’s good,” motioning to the window ceiling above them, he explained: “It's getting late, but you have a nice place here…” Rolling his shoulders and popping his neck in a slow manor, he glanced back away. “Thanks for showing me around...I think I’ll be heading back now.” 

Looking back up, Lily acknowledged that it had gotten late, the sun having disappeared all together now, leaving the sky a twilight purple. She felt her embarrassment rising as she saw Jason leave the greenhouse. 

Rushing after him, Lily found him almost out her shop door with his long legs when she stopped him. Thinking back, she couldn't explain -despite his intimidating demeanor- why she wanted to see him again. 

“You’ve lived in Gotham for awhile, right?” She called, stopping herself next to the checkout counter. 

Jason halted at the threshold and turned, his side facing her. He gave another small half smile and nodded. “Born and raised, actually.” 

“Would you show me around the city sometime then?” Her heart was beating so fast and her insecurity was screaming at her to not put herself up for a rejection.

His brows rose, and Lily couldn't help but give a small smile at the expression. He looked so much younger when he did that. 

“I...I mean,” His hesitation made Lily put up her defenses and she quickly began backtracking. 

“Forget I said anything, you're probably too busy-” 

“I’m not really sure where-” 

“Really, it's not a big deal-” 

Realizing they were talking over one another, both looked away. It seemed all the awkwardness the universe could offer was being concentrated in one tiny flower shop that day. 

Jason ran his hands through his hair again and looked outside for a moment. Lily felt like he was contemplating just leaving the situation all together. She certainly wouldn't blame him for it. 

After a few more seconds, he gave a large exhale through his nose. “What would you like to see?” An odd pang went off where her heart was, as his eyes met hers. He asked the question so softly that it rumbled in his chest. Blinking and looking down, Lily’s smile returned to her face. 

“Your favorite places I guess, anything you think I should know about.” 

He huffed and glanced back out the door. “Maybe I should take you to the Gotham Botanical Center, flower girl.” 

She gave a small laugh at that.

“Then you would have to listen to me giving you a crash course in botany the entire time.” 

His chuckle was something Lily would replay in her head for the rest of the night.

"Fair enough. I'll think of something."

Lily allowed herself to grin fully. 

"I'm available anytime after 6 pm."

His smirk made her heart flutter. 

“It's a date then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we get more of Jason's POV and some more criminal activity.


	6. Chapter Six: No Time for Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Chapter six is up! Sorry about the long wait for this one. 
> 
> I've been back in classes since late august and they are kicking my ass already. 
> 
> Uploading schedule might be slower but I dont plan on leaving this story anytime soon! 
> 
> Also, for context: I've interpreted Jason's character to be darker. If you know of the Arkham Knights game then you get where I'm going with this. 
> 
> He is definitely embracing his anti-hero status in this story.

_Ask no questions and you'll get no lies_

_Turn the cheek and blind the eye (let it go)_

_Bend the knee and give away your life_

_Bite your tongue and close your mind (never know)_

_'Cause you've got hell to pay, but you already sold your soul_

_It's blasphemy_

_But the words don't make sense no more_

_What would your mother say? Your faith has you immured_

_So don't try and tell me that you still believe_

_No don't preach to me_

_Blasphemy,_ Bring me the Horizon

 _It's a date?!_ What the hell was he thinking, saying something so stupid? Remembering the look on her face, Jason could see she was as shocked by his words as he was. 

Quickly, backing out of the shop's door, he gave a quick wave and to save face, added "I'm kidding!" And promptly hightailed it to the nearest cliff to nose-dive off of. 

The entire moment kept replaying in his head as Jason looked down at the city below him. Screw Roy and his babysitting, he needed to clear his head. And the best way to do that was to put on the helmet and crack some skulls. 

There was a problem though, Gotham was quiet, and his head was screaming. He recalled the entire encounter in his head:

As he walked down the street, his thoughts were racing. The moment he caught sight of her, Jason instantly regretted his decision to find her. He felt his chest tighten in anxiety. A feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. When their eyes met, he wished he could turn the opposite direction and run. 

When time came to finally explain what the hell he was doing at this woman's shop, he came up empty. 

His brain was too busy scrambling for excuses and trying to find the nearest escape routes, that his best response to her question; was to point at her sign and state the obvious.

The feeling in his chest only tightened as she offered to show him around. Why was he doing this again? Why couldn't he have just left a goddamned "thank you" note or some impersonal shit like that?

When he saw her expectant stare as he stepped foot into her shop, his mouth went dry. What did she want him to say?

_I like your pottery?_

"It's small,"

 _Genius_. He could shit talk his way through a Mexican-standoff but when it came to trying to make small talk, he would say the dumbest shit. 

Her following snort made him want to disappear. He hated feeling like an awkward teenager. Behind the mask, he could pretend to be a suave, smooth talker. But the vulnerability of knowing someone could read you just by looking at your expression made Jason sick to his stomach. 

As Lily had led him to the back of her store, his eyes began to trace down her back. His mind flashed to the night at the club, when he was reminded of her tight skirt and how it complimented her toned legs. She had to have been in some type of sport. 

When his eyes eventually trailed lower he had to force himself to turn his head away. Seeing an odd globe made of glass on one of the counters, he picked it up. Anything to distract him from going down that complicated road.

When she asked him what he had been doing at The Silver Spoon, Jason's walls went up and he gave a defensive reply. 

"You ask a lot of questions." 

The way she cocked her head at him made him want to laugh. It was a cute little gesture. When Jason realised he considered any part of this woman cute, he began to tense up again. 

So when she pointed out his lack of questions, his automatic response was to be an ass. 

"I have nothing _to_ ask." 

He saw the hurt in her eyes but didn't allow himself to feel sorry. He couldn't have this vulnerability. He would humor her. Jason would look at her shop, say a couple of nice words, and never talk to her again. End of story.

When her response was a lighthearted comeback he didn't know how to respond. Why was she so easygoing with him? He had thought of her contrasting moods multiple times, but her demeanor with Jason Todd as opposed to Red Hood were like night and day. Why was that? 

Taking a step into her green room, he took in the sight of how the setting sun made the place so much cozier. He could understand, in that moment, why this girl enjoyed plants so much. 

Though humid, the smell of earth and the fragrance of the flowers made him want to close his eyes and take it all in for hours. It was comforting. 

When she began to explain how she came to own the little shop, he took another chance to study her. She had so much pride in her expression as her gaze ran across the room. The sunlight reflected in her eyes as she looked up and her blonde hair took on the pink of the sky. 

The image of a tiny garden fairy popped into his head and he quickly threw it aside. No distractions. No vulnerability. 

"What made you want to buy this place?" 

Bingo! Her reaction piqued his interest. Her loose body language suddenly tensed up and her eyes no longer met his. Instead, her attention went to a wiry plant beside her and she began to fiddle with it. 

Interesting. Her generic response made Jason want to dig further but when he tried, she saw himself reflected in her. Her walls were coming up and she tried to change the topic, by joking at her apparent regret at wanting him to ask his own questions. 

Jason was becoming impatient, his body was weary from having to not only hide his own anxiety, but trying to also decipher this woman's character. 

He would try and make a quick exit, and when that plan inevitably crashed and burned, with her asking him to show her around the city, Jason found himself in the present. Currently on a roof, itching to put a bullet in something.

He needed a cigarette, badly. 

Jason heard him before he saw him, and he could already hear the nagging. 

"Fuck off Arsenal. I'm not in the mood." 

His friend gave a drawn out whistle and crouched beside him. 

"You went and talked to her didn't you? Wait! Don't tell me! You told her your deep, dark, brooding past and she fell in love instantly right?" 

Jason really needed to shoot something.

"You don't have to tell me," Roy finally said, after a bit of silence. "But all I'm saying is, I hope you used protec-" 

"I _will_ shoot you, Roy." 

The red archer raised his hands. "Jesus man, I'm just kidding." 

More silence, then: 

"Did it _really_ go that bad?" 

"Do you _really_ need to ask?" 

Arsenal shrugged and leaned back into a full squat. "I'm sure you've noticed, it's a quiet night. Might as well gossip." 

Jason stood up and crossed his arms. 

"Nothing happened. She _didn't_ fall in love with me, and we _didn't-_ " Jason made a flicking motion with his hand as if swatting away a fly. He wasn't even going to entertain such a hilariously, ridiculous idea. 

"In fact, it was probably the most awkward 20 minutes of my life." 

Roy gave a pout and stood up alongside Jason. 

"Well that sucks," 

Jason shrugged. "Not really. I probably shouldn't have gone to see her anyway."

Stretching, Arsenal put his hands behind his head and looked across the city skyline. 'So what? You don't plan on her seeing her again?" 

Jason raised his eyebrow under his helmet. "Why are you so obsessed with me seeing this chick?" 

Giving a dramatic, long-suffering sigh, Arsenal flung down his arms back to his sides. 

"Because you've been a total ass Red Hood,"

Jason snorted. 

"It's true, man. You need to get laid. Big time." 

"Fuck off, Roy." 

Arsenal turned his head to look at him. 

"You think I'm joking, I'm not. A girl could be good for you. Hell, find some hooker if you've lost all your game. All I'm saying is, you've been working too much and I think it's gotten to you. Your acting like-" 

"Don't you fucking say it!" Jason growled, pointing his finger at Roy.

Roy met Jason's hidden gaze calmly. "Fine, I won't. But you know I'm right." 

Jason let out a sigh. "Sure, whatever. If it makes you feel better, she did ask me to show her around the city." 

"And you just decided to leave that part out?" Roy shouted, his tone slightly exasperated. 

Jason crossed his arms again and shrugged. "It ain't any of your business." 

"Well are you?" 

"What?" 

"Going to show her around the city?" 

That made Jason pause. He felt that pang in his chest at having to go back there and endure that awkwardness all over again. 

"Maybe," he finally said. 

"Don't ghost her man. That'd be a bitch move." 

"It isn't your business." Jason repeated.

In a stroke of luck, the bickering duo noticed a box truck drive by. This would not be suspicious of course, in normal circumstances, trucks of all shapes and sizes were a common sight in Gotham. It's a city, you're going to see trucks. Except: “What kind of meat shipping company delivers at 2 o’clock in the morning?” Roy asked rhetorically. “The type that isn't delivering meat,” Jason countered. So, they followed the van from above, jumping across the tops of buildings as if gravity did not apply to them. It wasn't a long chase, in fact, the van had stopped by an old stand-alone restaurant. As they peered behind one of the edges to the building, it didn't take long to get their answers. 

They had finally done it, they had seemingly found the heart of the cartel's distribution network within Gotham. Hidden under the guise of a family owned restaurant, the behind the scenes reality painted a much different picture. 

It was discovered to be one of those "hiding-in-plain-sight" operations. 

The driver of the refrigeration truck pulled in behind back, and met with one of the "owners”. This man appeared to then validate the product and Jason and Roy watched as the mysterious boxed items were swiftly unloaded and put into what they presumed to be the restaurant's own walk-in refrigerator. 

"Now why would the cartel need to use a refrigerator?" Arsenal asked softly, mostly to himself. 

Looking up over the edge, Jason watched as the truck drove away. The entire exchange and trade-off took less than 10 minutes. 

"This might not be the cartel's doing." Jason muttered back. Something felt off. For the past several weeks they had been cracking down on what they believed to be cartel outposts. But after the night at The Silver Spoon, Jason began to think otherwise. 

"The hired thugs back at the club knew about Black Mask, that could mean we’re dealing with something local."

"So? Hired guns will take any job. That doesn't prove anything." 

"That's what I thought until now," Turning his head to Roy, Jason asked: 

"What do you usually find after a bust?" 

Roy frowned. "Usually drugs or weapons…" 

Jason's voice turned darker. "We haven't found anything related to usual cartel trade. No weapons, no drugs, no smuggling of any kind." 

Roy's eyebrows rose. "You think…"

"It's a red herring." Jason confirmed, turning back to look at the restaurant. “At first I thought we got there too late each time,” he continued. “but what those guys mentioned back at the club and what I’m seeing now, it could mean something much worse than smuggling.”

"...Shit…" Roy hissed. "So what do you think about this?" He motioned back to the restaurant. 

Jason shook his head. "I'm not sure. This time it seems they _are_ distributing something…but if all our past leads were a smokescreen...then this could be us willingly stepping into another wild goose chase." 

Roy pursed his lips for a moment. "How about we follow that truck?" 

Jason paused. If they had indeed been set up to find this place eventually, then that meant two things: One, the person behind all this was betting on their arrival and would likely have set up a trap. Second, and most frightening of all, that person had been correctly predicting both Jason and Roy’s movements for weeks. That thought made Jason second-guess his next move. Did this person expect them to follow the truck? Or to fall into that restaurant guns blazing? “Let's split up, you got a comm-link?” Roy grinned and pointed to his ear. “What do you think I am? A rookie?” Smirking, Jason stood up and cracked his neck. “Then you see about the restaurant. I’ll follow the truck.” “Sounds like a plan” Patting Jason on the shoulder, Roy hopped over the ledge and began to make his way down. Turning his attention to where he last saw the truck, Jason began to make his way across the city. 

____

He was right to listen to his gut, as Jason finally caught up to the truck, he followed it to the warehouse on the docks. The bright lights shining through from the old wood framing revealed the activity happening inside. Making his way to the roof of the building, Jason peaked through one of the cracks. “Checkmate.” He whispered. From what he could see, Jason spotted several men in all black suits, walking around. They looked much more refined than the thugs from The Silver Spoon. As the man within the van made his way across the warehouse, Jason spotted large crates of what he assumed to be the mysterious product. “Did the delivery go as planned?” Another man walked out, wearing the same suit, except he wasn't holding any weapon, his demeanor and the way in which the men around him moved aside revealed him to be the ringleader. Jason couldn't hear the driver’s reply. He needed to get closer. The buzzing of his comm made him pause. “What is it?” Jason whispered. “Your hunch was right,” Roy whispered. “What do you mean? Were you ambushed?” “No, you were right in that this wasn't the cartel.” Roy’s voice was tense, as if he were trying to hold something back. “What is it?” Jason repeated, slightly louder this time. He didn't like the way Roy sounded. Not much phased the marksmen, and his tone made it seem as if he saw a ghost. “ I found out what they were moving...Jason…” The sound of a bullet whizzing past his helmet made Jason fall onto his side. “ _Shit!_ ” 

Pulling out one of his Jericho’s, Jason smashed his way through one of the large skylights. Rolling onto the second floor, he maneuvered his way behind a beam. Another gunshot and he dodged the bullet. 

“We’ve been expecting you, Red Hood! Come on out!” Came the taunting voice of the ringleader. Jason let his breathing slow as he heard movement on both his sides. He pulled out his second pistol. He held his breath. _One...Two...Three!_ Rolling out into the middle of the walkway, Jason aimed at the men on either side of him. The sound of their bodies hitting the wooden floor confirmed what he already knew. _Keep moving!_

Hurling himself over the banister, Jason landed atop one of the crates and felt his muscle memory take over as he kept his feet from slowing down. These men in suits were a much better shot than the others at the club. They weren't just hired guns. Mercenaries? Maybe. Keeping the advantage of higher ground, Jason jumped between crates. One after the other the men fell. The sound of gunfire was deafening, and he could feel himself gaining what he believed to be his own runner's high. His body began to feel lighter, his movements quicker, his enemies' slower. Mercenaries or not, they weren't trained against someone like him. The silence following the sound of the last body hitting the floor made Jason freeze. Like a splash of cold water he realized his mistake too late. Looking around, he felt his hands shake in frustration. “Damnit!” In the midst of the gun fight, the apparent ring leader had escaped. How could he let that happen? How did he miss it? He never even got a good look at the man. Had he really become that rusty? Roy’s words from earlier rang in his ear. Was he...having a burnout? 

His ears picked up on movement, whirling around, Jason saw the driver cowering behind one of the boxes. Holstering one of his guns, Jason stalked his way toward him and lifted the man by his collar. The poor guy seemed to be on the younger side. Maybe mid to late 20s, he had unkempt hair and an untrimmed beard. “Who do you work for?” The driver flinched at Red Hood's modulated voice, his eyes never leaving at the gun in Jason's hands. “I-I don't know-” Jason snarled, throwing the pitiful kid on the ground, he pointed his pistol between the driver's eyes. “Then what does he look like? I know you're not blind.” The driver was already shaking his head. “He...was a white guy...dark hair...dark eyes, really tall...Oh god!” The man cried out as the barrel of the gun touched his forehead. “C’mon kid, I know you know more than that.” Jason’s voice was just above a whisper. “He...He spends a lot of time in Gotham’s underground! It’s how he found me.” The man was absolutely shaking by this point, his eyes were closed tight. “Why did he want you?” “He asked if I needed some quick cash, said if I did this job I would be able to pay off my debts-” “Where were you when this happened?” The man let out a sob. “I don't know man, a bar okay? I don't know the name it just had a bright, red sign, a-and a skull lookin’ thing on it!” 

Jason thought for a moment. He hadn't been in the Gotham underground in ages. Despite the name, it wasn't really a peak place for major criminals. Mostly just people down on their luck trying to make a quick buck...hell, he spent most of his time there as a kid before Bruce found him. But he never recalled any specific bar with a skull… Bringing himself back from that thought he looked back down at the trembling man. Was this man simply down on his luck too? Caught at the wrong place at the wrong time? A flash of blond hair and pleading green eyes blurred his vision. Did this man really need to die because of a simple mistake? He felt his comm buzz again. “Red Hood?” It was Arsenal. “What is it?” “Everything okay where you're at?” 

Jason cocked his gun as a warning for the driver to stay where he was. The man simply curled into himself. “Yeah, things didn't go exactly as planned though...what did you find?” “They’re producing a chemical weapon, Jason... _mass_ producing it. There's hundreds of boxes here.” Jason frowned, looking down, he nudged the man’s leg with his foot. “What’s in the boxes?” The man blinked. “Boxes…?” He gritted his teeth. “Don’t play dumb, what have you been transporting?” The man shook his head. “The guy never specified, just said that it was deadly and to not to mess anything up.” There was silence for a moment. “...You knowingly transported a chemical weapon?” Jason hissed. The man stiffened. “I told you! I was down on my luck I-” “Millions of people are down on their luck!” Jason roared. “Yet you don't see them endangering countless lives!” “I-I know that now! It was a stupid mistake-” Jason had heard enough. Green eyes flashed in front of him again. _Enough!_ He pulled the trigger and the man’s excuses stopped. The sound of his body hitting the ground wasn’t as satisfying as it usually was. 

“Red Hood? ‘You still there?” Taking in a big gulp of air, Jason turned away from the body and began to make his way out of the warehouse. He was exhausted. 

“Roy,” 

“Yeah?” 

“Get a sample of that chemical.”

"Sure thing. Anything else?"

Jason hesitated. Frowning, he glanced back at the driver's dead body. 

Lily's words echoed in his ears: 

_I don't find it to be my place to play God._

He clenched his teeth and replied:

"Make sure I never go soft." 


	7. Chapter Seven: To Forgive and To Forget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for any spelling errors.

_She hardly sleeps_

_She hardly eats_

_She hardly breathes_

_When you're in her breathing space_

_She brushes it off_

_Like she always does_

_Drops through the subway_

_Disappears with the flood_

_Greasy Spoon_ , Sam Fender

The first couple of days, her heart would start to beat faster as 6 pm drew closer. Every sound at the front of her shop made her look up. Every customer that came in, left her disappointed and having to force a smile. 

After the first week the anxiety started to rise. Had she been too forward? Why did she even ask that? Was he freaked out by her asking? Her eyes would be drawn back to her phone. 

She allowed herself to keep checking. 6 oclock...6:10...6:25...6:45...7 o'clock. 

Once 8:00 pm came around she stopped trying to check her phone as she prepared to go home. 

After the second week she had decided that he had just been nice and she had gone too far in asking anything of him. What did she expect really? Him to stop by and whisk her away to a beautiful hideaway from Gotham? 

What did she even want? Why did she care? 

Crawling into bed, Lily scrolled through her phone, checking on social media and trying to find things that would get her mind off that brooding face. 

She was getting drowsy when she heard her phone ping. A text? 

The notification said it was from Jane. Lily's heart clenched. What did she want to say? They hadn't talked since that night at The Silver Spoon...Lily had even come to terms with the possibility that she had lost her one friend in the entire city...for a guy that she wouldn't ever talk to again. 

Opening up the message Lily clenched her jaw. 

_Hey, are you available to grab coffee tomorrow around lunch? My treat._

Lily began to text something, and then deleting it several times before finally landing on a casual " _sure!_ "

Putting her phone away, Lily felt Lady climb atop her and rest on her chest. Her purrs soothed her worries and she began to fall asleep, her anxiety slowly dissipated as she let herself relax and forget about the past weeks.

\------

Her alarm woke her up as it always did: at 6:30 am. Lily was not an early riser by nature but the schedule allowed her to prepare for her day mentally and make sure she had enough time to relax before jumping into the full swing of the day. 

Feeding Lady and finishing off her bowl of cereal, Lily dressed for work in simple shorts and a white t-shirt. It was going to be a hot day from what the forecast said, so she decided to put her short hair in a tiny ponytail. Before she left she checked her plants and maneuvered others that looked like they needed more sun. 

A quick kiss to Lady and she was off. The heat had yet to soak into the pavement and so the walk to work was comfortable. The morning sun gave her just the right amount of heat to give her goosebumps. 

Today was going to be a good day. 

\-----

Today had been the lousiest of days.

It had started out to be very promising. She went to meet with Jane at a nearby cafe and they had a good talk. Jane let out her frustration about how Lily should think about her safety and consider her friends' feelings next time she threw herself into danger. Lily nodded along, apologized and the two made up. It wasn't an instantaneous mending of a friendship but it was the step in the right direction.

Lily promised to meet Jane later that week for another lunch break before heading back to her shop. The day progressed and she got to see some familiar faces and she would have called today one of her good ones, until...she got a call from home. 

She stared at her screen for several agonizing seconds, her chest constricting in anxiety, her throat tightening and her eyes glazing over as she wondered if she dared to ignore it. 

Her fear won over and she pressed the answer button and slowly lifted the phone to her ear. 

"Hello?" She said softly, almost inaudible. 

\----

Lily softly closed the door to her shop. The back of her eyes building up into an unbearable pressure. Lifting her head up, Lily tried her hardest to keep the tears from falling. If she started crying now, she wouldn't stop.

"Damnit …" she whispered, her voice croaking. Why was her mother like that? She could never do anything right, and there was always something she did wrong. She felt so drained. 

"...is this a bad time?" 

Lily's heart jolted, burning her chest and making her choke her breath. _Now?_ Now of all times? When her vision was blurring and her nose leaking from the held back tsunami of a good cry. Now he decides to show up? She wanted to whirl on him and tell him _no shit-_

"Kinda, I've had a long day." She answered, before turning around she gave a quick sniff and wiped her eyes. Finally looking at him, she gave him her most sincere smile. "Allergies have really gotten to me today." 

Jason frowned, his towering form casting a large shadow over her. He was wearing a red hoodie (which was odd in the summer) and some old-worn jeans. Laying a hand on the back of his neck, he lowered his head. 

"Sorry for...y'know, not showing you around. I got a call for a job outside the city and-" 

Lily was so tired and she was shaking her head before he even finished. She felt a headache coming on and she tried to keep the frown from her face. 

"I overstepped in asking. I've lived here for awhile now, I should know the city pretty well. Don't worry about it." She did her best to keep the passive-aggressive tone out of her voice.

Jason gave a fast nod. "That's good to hear, I just uh...thought I should make it up to you by coming by and-" 

She interrupted him again, "Don't worry about it." She repeated. Lily felt herself wanting to just crash onto the pavement and scream. 

The butterflies were gone, she just wanted to go home now. 

On Jason's end, he knew his timing had been bad. He had waited outside her shop for about an hour thinking on what to do, and almost deciding on leaving when he saw her pick up the phone. 

From where he was leaning in the alleyway across the street, he couldn't see much besides her slamming and clenching her fist repeatedly on the counter. Was it more drama with that friend of hers? 

He didn't understand what forced him across the street when she began closing up, but the regret at his decision kept mounting the more he tried talking to her. 

The truth was, after that night at the warehouse, Jason had devoted his entire energy on uprooting the trafficking scheme he and Roy had discovered. 

Each new clue only seemed to reveal a darker truth. What they had discovered in those crates were incredibly strong designer drugs similar to bath salts, only they had yet to discover just how much stronger they were. 

When trying to track down its origin, they found it almost impossible, everytime they got close to interrogating a member of the cartel, the individual would kill themselves in an almost robotic fashion. 

In their last drug bust, Jason had fallen into a trap that led him to having several larger, and still healing, wounds across his entire body. That was 3 days ago. And so now, here he stood, twiddling his thumbs in a hoodie that was forcing him to practice his heat tolerance. 

Ignoring the urge to scrape his finger through his hair (his healing wounds didn't allow him much leeway to raise his arms) Jason shuffled his feet and gave Lily a quick glance. 

He shouldn't, he _really_ shouldn't. He could hear her rejection already but- 

"Can I walk you home?" He muttered. 

Lily looked up from staring at the ground. Her large eyes squinted minutely. She was suspicious, confused...frustrated. 

"I don't-" 

"Just to make up for ghosting you like that," Jason clarified quickly. He leaned back a bit, his weight being forced onto his heels. He didn't want to corner her or force her into letting him walk her home. His feet stumbled off the curb onto the edge of the road, giving off a natural image of someone losing their footing and more importantly, giving her a little more space. 

Lily hardly noticed his movements. Her mind was racing. 

She just wanted to be alone. But at the same time, she didn't. Eventually, one stray tear did fall and she decided to let it. Maybe the show of emotion would scare him off. 

But as more followed, she still saw his sneakers from her peripherals, her vision blurred and her nose ran. God, how crazy she must look. She didn't make much noise besides the occasional sniffle and a gasp for breath here and there. 

Still, he didn't move. Finally, wiping her arm across her face and giving one last loud sniffle, Lily looked back up at him. She was so tired. And when looking closer at Jason's face, she noticed he was too. 

His eyes were heavy-lidded, giving the impression of a bored expression but his brows were furrowed as he simply observed her outburst. There were no big reactions from him. No " _please dont cry_ " or " _was it something I said?_ " He just...let her. 

He didn't reach out his hand, he didn't offer a tissue, and Lily was grateful. He understood what it meant to hurt and to just be allowed to express it. 

Giving an apologetic smile, Lily motioned her head for him to follow. 

They didn't talk. Jason stayed on the asphalt, giving her the full sidewalk. Even with the few extra inches he still towered over her. She smiled at that. 

When they made it to her apartment, Lily stopped at the foot of the stairs. She turned to him. 

"Thank you…" 

There was some silence before Jason responded. "I'm sorry," he replied. "I shouldn't have left you waiting like that." 

Lily opened her mouth but he rushed to finish. 

"I understand if you need space, but if you'd let me, I can show you a spot in the city that's pretty peaceful…" 

She lowered her head, mulling over his words. Jason finished: 

"you look like you could use some peace." 

Lily whipped her head up to look at him, but he only thinned his lips, gave her a quick nod, and turned, crossing the street. No wave goodbye or anything. 

\-----

Jason rested back on the couch, a familiar scene as this spot of his hideout had been his home for the past several weeks. 

He was glaring at his naked ceiling, where the water heating pipes and air vents lay bare for all to see. 

His heart was still beating fast, so much so that he could feel the pulse of it through his temples. 

She looked so miserable. Pathetic even. Who had she been talking to? It wasn't his business, why did he care? Did he care? Apparently he did. 

The image of her wide, bloodshot eyes slowly rising to look at him, their corners slowly crinkling as she gave him that apologetic bright smile. She looked so...tragic. "Beautiful…" he puffed out. 

What kind of messed up freak was he? Finding a crying chick pretty? But her irritated, glossy eyes made them look greener. She had been out of breath. Her cheeks pink from the exertion of keeping her pain at bay. 

He was fucked up in the head. Even when she was crying he just observed her. Stared at her. Perhaps he should have felt sorry, maybe comforted her. But nothing came to mind that would really be of help. The best he could do was let her know that...he didn't care. He didn't care that snot was running down her nose, that her emotions weren't stifling him. He could only show that he wasn't scared of her outburst. He understood it. Empathized with it. 

Shifting his weight so his cuts and scrapes would stop screaming at him. Jason let his eyes close. He wouldn't sleep. He couldn't in fact. Instead, he thought of a poor blonde girl that was too small to handle the weight of the world on her shoulders. And he thought of the ways in which he could help. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the absence! Much has happened in my life. Changing my long term plans for the future, dealing with mental health and so on. I cant guarentee another chapter to be posted quickly after this one, but just know that I am dedicated to finishing this story one way or another! Thank you for your patience and your comments!


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